The latest industry appointments
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MATTHEW VARLEY has been announced as the new Chief Operating Officer of Wego, based at the travel search site’s Singapore headquarters. Varley joins from the Wotif Group, where he held several key senior executive roles over eight years in Australia and Asia.
CLAUDIA SENDER has been named as the new Chief Executive Office of TAM Airlines. Ms Sender, 38, joined TAM in December 2011 and was previously Vice President of the Brazilian airline’s domestic business unit. She holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.
KATHERINE MELCHIOR-RAY has been named as Hyatt’s new Vice President of Luxury Brands – a new role overseeing the Park Hyatt and Grand Hyatt labels. Ms Melchior-Ray has 20 years’ experience, including spells with Gucci and Louis Vuitton in Japan.
KAREN DAWSON has been appointed as Hyatt’s new Vice President of Digital Strategy, focusing on the company’s online and social media initiatives. She arrives from US-based creative agency, Two Blue Spruce, where she was Principal of Digital Marketing.
CHRIS WALKER has become Hyatt’s new Vice President of Brand Experience for the Hyatt Place and Hyatt House brands. With 15 years of hospitality and marketing experience, Walker started his career at Hyatt in 1998 as a management trainee in Dubai.
JEAN KEIJDENER has been appointed as Ascott’s new Country General Manager for Thailand, overseeing the serviced residence company’s nine properties in the country. Keijdener has 30 years’ experience, most recently as Ascott’s Country GM in South Korea.
HEATHER BRIGGS has been appointed as Hyatt’s new Vice President of Consumer Insights and Market Research, managing guest feedback and satisfaction. Prior to joining Hyatt in 2011, Ms Briggs worked in a similar consumer insight role for United Airlines.
DEAN WINTER has been appointed Area Director of Operations for Swire Hotels’ Hong Kong properties and China projects. Winter joined Swire Hotels in 2006, prior to which he served as Executive Assistant Manager at Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong.
JENNIFER CHUNG has been appointed as General Manager of Swire Hotels’ Hong Kong property, EAST. Ms Chung is the former Hotel Manager and Director of Sales & Marketing at EAST, and has previously had spells with Shangri-La and Langham in China and Hong Kong.
PETER WYNNE has been announced as Swire Hotels’ new Area General Manager for Beijing. Wynne is Swire’s former General Manager for Projects & Development and has more than 20 years’ experience in the industry since, mainly with Amanresorts and Taj Hotels.
MICHAEL FAULKNER has been named as the new General Manager at EAST Beijing. Faulkner joins the Swire Hotels property with five years’ experience of luxury hotels in China and Australia, as well as several years at the Metropolitan in London.
KRIENGSAK HANSA has become the new Hotel Manager of the Kirimaya Golf Resort Spa and Muthi Maya Forest Pool Villa Resort, in Khao Yai, eastern Thailand. Kriengsak joins the twin resorts from the AKA Resort Hua Hin and AKA Guit Hua Hin, where he was also General Manager.
RAYMOND ANG has been named as the new General Manager of the Grand Park Kunming hotel in southern China’s Yunnan province. A Singaporean national, Ang has more than 30 years’ hospitality experience in Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and Japan.
MARTIN BOYLE has joined Business Events Sydney (BESydney) as the MICE bureau’s new Client Relationship Manager for the UK & Europe. Boyle moves to BESydney having served for the past four years with Congrex UK as Director of Association & Conference Development.
