The latest industry appointments

GARETH EVANS has been appointed as chief executive officer of Qantas International and Freight. Currently the group’s chief financial officer, Qantas will be hoping Evans’ financial acumen can return the unit to profit. Having previously worked for accountancy firm KMPG, Evans joined Qantas in 1999.

ANDREW DAVID has been announced as the new chief executive officer of Qantas Domestic. The move marks a promotion for David, who previously served as the Qantas’ chief operating officer. He has also worked for Jetstar Japan, Virgin Australia and Tiger Airways Australia, where he briefly served as CEO.

STEVEN TAYLOR has been appointed chief marketing officer for Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts. Taylor is the former vice president of marketing for Starwood Hotels & Resorts in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, where he was responsible for 260 hotels. He spent a total of 16 years with Starwood.

MARIA CHEVALIER has been appointed to the newly-created position of global vice president of corporate incubation with Travelport, helping the company innovate new customer solutions. She joins the company from her own consulting firm, and previously served as global director of travel & meetings services at HP.

STEPHAN CHALINE has been announced as the new general manager at U Sapa, Absolute Hotel Services’ hotel in northern Vietnam. Chaline has more than 12 years of experience in the hotel industry, including spells with the Phoenix Hotels Group and Stein Hotels & Resorts. He has a strong F&B pedigree.

LUCA CASAURA has been appointed vice president of corporate marketing for Italian cruise giant Costa Crociere. Over his 17-year career Casaura has held senior roles with several major companies including Unilever and Danone. He held the position of global vice president of marketing for Activia since 2013.

RAGHU MENON has been appointed general manager of the Ritz-Carlton Bangalore. An Australian national, his career spans more than 16 years across Australia, Asia, the Middle East and UK. Most recently he was general manager of the Ritz-Carlton Shenzhen and prior to that was hotel manager in Beijing.

LINDA HODGSON has been appointed director of sales & marketing at the InterContinental Hong Kong. Originally from the UK, Ms Hodgson brings more than 20 years’ experience to the role, almost a decade of which has been spent with IHG. She relocates to Hong Kong from the InterContinental Times Square in New York.

MICHAEL BELANGER has become the new director of revenue at InterContinental Hong Kong. An IHG veteran, Belanger has spent 14 years with the company, including spells in Montreal and Dubai. Most recently he spent three and a half years at InterContinental Singapore as director of rooms and director of revenue.

SONNY ANG has been named as new head of sales & marketing for Marco Polo Hotels in Hong Kong. A seasoned hotelier with more than 25 years’ experience, Ang has worked in Hong Kong, Southeast Asia and mainland China. His most recent position was vice president of sales & marketing for China’s Himalayas Hotels.