The latest industry appointments

GARY WARNOCK has been appointed general manager of the Dorsett Grand Chengdu. An experienced hotelier, Warnock spent the last seven years with Starwood Hotels & Resorts, where worked in senior executive roles at hotels in Shenzhen, Shanghai, Sanya and Macau. He has also worked for Qantas.

JULIAN WIPPER has been appointed resident manager of the Kowloon Shangri-La in Hong Kong. A German national, Wipper worked with major hotels in the US and UK before moving to Asia. No stranger to Shangri-La, he has worked for the group’s hotels in Shenzhen, Shanghai, Chiang Mai and Kuala Lumpur.

MAYA FROST has been announced as the Hong Kong Tourism Board’s (HKTB) new digital marketing manager, based in London. Now responsible for the HKTB’s UK and northern European markets, Ms Frost previously worked for Merlin Entertainments as global digital marketing manager.

STEPHANE HAUBOIS has also joined the HKTB as its new London-based manager for trade development, responsible for the UK and northern European markets. Prior to joining the tourism board, Haubois worked as a trade manager for Destination Québec in the UK.

MICHAEL ASSEF has become Destination Asia’s new director of meetings & event in Shanghai. Assef has already worked for the company for several years, having previously held the position of product & MICE manager in Cambodia. He will now join Destination Asia’s established team in Shanghai.

ELIZABETH HVALGAARD has been appointed as the new events manager for the Novotel Vines Resort in Western Australia. Having worked in the Perth hospitality industry for the last 14 years, Ms Hvalgaard has held managerial positions at the Vines Resort, Perth’s Paterson Stadium, and most recently, Sandalford Estate.