The latest industry appointments

AMIT ARORA has been appointed chief executive officer (CEO) at SKAI Holdings. In his current role, Arora will oversee operational requirements for the US$1bn Viceroy Dubai Palm Jumeirah.  He brings with him over 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, including six years in senior sales and marketing roles at Emaar.

MAREN KUEHL has been appointed general manager at Yassat Gloria Hotel Apartments. She brings with her 18 years of experience in the hospitality industry particularly within the Rooms Division. Her most recent position was acting general manager of Jumeirah Grand Hotel Via Veneto in Rome.

LAURENT A VOIVENEL has been appointed chief executive officer (CEO) for HMH – Hospitality Management. He brings with him over 28 years of hotel management experience with some leading international hospitality brands. Laurent demonstrated management and leadership skills across varied senior positions overseeing strategic planning, business development, operations, financial and analytical processes, owner relations, brand conversion and communication.

SAMIR ARORA has been appointed general manager for Ramada Downtown Dubai. He brings with him over 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry. Prior to joining Ramada Downtown, he was resident manager of VIDA Downtown and Al Manzil Downtown Dubai. In his current role, he is responsible for overall hotel operations and supervision of all departments; budget and financial plans, as well as the planning and implementation of different sales and marketing strategies.

WAEL EL BEHI has been appointed general manager at Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham Dubai. In his current role, he will be responsible for directing the overall management and operation of this new city resort. Prior to this appointment, El Behi was general manager of Ramada Downtown Dubai.

JEFFREY LIM has been appointed general manager of Singapore for Etihad Airways. He takes on the position following three years as Etihad Airways’ general manager for Malaysia. He brings with him over 20 years of experience in global aviation and travel industry. In addition to his role, Jeffrey managed the start-up of the airline’s Chengdu and Shanghai operations as the airline’s acting General Manager China, based part-time in Beijing.

DAVID WALSH takes over Jeffrey Lim in the role of general manager Malaysia. David moves to the Kuala Lumpur-based role from Dublin where he was Etihad Airways’ general manager Ireland for the past year. He brings with him over 20 years of experience in global aviation and the travel industry. He has a strong background in airline sales and management and has held key positions at bmi, Travelport and Galileo in Ireland.

OMAR SOLIMAN has been appointed outlet manager of caféM @ Media One Hotel. Graduated from Allepo College of Management Studies, he began his career as a bartender in Doha obtaining certificates for excellent customer care. In his career, Soliman has also worked at Emirates Palace Hotel in the Italian restaurant and Atmosphere at the Burj Khalifa.

IBRAHIM KORKUT has been appointed director of sales and marketing for Yas Viceroy Abu Dhabi. Korkut brings with him more than 20 years of sales and marketing experience having previously worked in Turkey, Bahrain and the UAE. He joins the hotel from his current role of director of sales and marketing with the Kempinski Grand and Ixir Hotel in Bahrain.