The latest industry appointments

JONATHAN KAO has been appointed as BCD Travel’s new managing director for Greater China, overseeing the company’s operations in mainland China and Hong Kong. Kao joins BCD Travel from Four Seas Travel and he previously worked for American Express and FCm Travel Solutions.

JAYARAJ SHANMUGAM has been named chief commercial officer of Jet Airways. The move marks a promotion for Shanmugam, who joined the Indian carrier in mid-2015 as senior vice president of products & services. Prior to this he had worked with Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways.

TOMMY LAI has become Onyx Hospitality Group’s new vice president for North Asia. Based in Hong Kong, Lai will now oversee Onyx’s operations in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan and Korea. With 20 years’ experience, he was previously Onyx’s vice president of development for North Asia.

MAEL VASTINE has taken up the role of area general manager for Hong Kong with Onyx Hospitality Group. In this capacity, he will oversee all of the Thai hotel group’s brands in the city, in addition to his current role as GM of the Ozo Wesley Hong Kong, which he has held since 2014.

HUMAYOON SHAIKHZADEH has been named general manager of the new Oakwood Apartments Ho Chi Minh City. Shaikhzadeh is a graduate of Thunderbird School of Global Management in the US and has a strong background in finance. He has previously worked for AccorHotels and Starwood.

PREM CALAIS has become the new general manager for the Royal Cliff Hotels Group, which operates more than 1,000 hotel rooms in the Thai resort of Pattaya. A seasoned international hotelier, Calais has held senior management positions with Shangri-La, Anantara and Parkroyal.

GERBEN BLOEMENDAAL has become HG Travel’s new managing director for Myanmar, as the DMC prepares to expand its presence in the country. A Dutch national, Bloemendaal has 15 years’ experience, the last 10 of which have been spent in Southeast Asia, mainly in Thailand and Vietnam.

ZAYNE BOON has been appointed general manager of the Pullman Kuala Lumpur City Centre. Having achieved his first GM role at the age of 25, Boon is now a seasoned hotelier and has worked across multiple AccorHotels brands such as Novotel, Mercure, Grand Mercure and ibis.

JAMES HANG has been appointed general manager of the North Hill City Resort, a new luxury property in Chiang Mai. He will also oversee the resort’s sister property, Sireeampan Boutique Resort & Spa. A Malaysian national, Hang has 28 years’ experience, most recently with Dusit.

MARIO PRESTIGIOVANNI has been named as the new culinary director at the Wyndham Legend Halong. An Italian national, Prestigiovanni moves to the luxury Vietnamese hotel following a 12-year culinary career that started in Italy and has since taken him to Thailand, China and Oman.