The latest industry appointments

BERNARD FRANCIS has been appointed as AirAsia X’s new commercial director. With 14 years’ experience in the aviation industry, Francis is a former Malaysia Airlines executive. He returns to the country following a spell as commercial director of Indonesian AirAsia.

LEE LIK HSIN has been appointed group chief executive officer of Tiger Airways Holdings, following the resignation of Koay Peng Yen. Lee has had a 20-year career with Singapore Airlines, and took over as president of the national carrier’s cargo division in August 2013.

JOHN SNYDER has been named as the new president & chief executive officer of BCD Travel. The move marks a promotion for Snyder, who previously served as BCD’s chief operating officer. The reshuffle follows Joop Drechsel’s decision to step down as chief executive officer.

MIKE JANSSEN will replace John Snyder as BCD Travel’s chief operating officer. Janssen is a 20-year veteran with BCD, and previously headed-up the company in the Americas region. Prior to joining the company he held management roles with AON Corp, Unisys and Peterson Consulting.

JAMES KAPLAN has been named as the new senior vice president of development for Minor Hotel Group. He joins the Thailand-based company from Fairmont-Raffles Hotels International (FRHI), where he most recently held the position of SVP of development for Asia Pacific & India.

GEOFF STEPHENS has become the new chief financial officer for the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre (MCEC). Stephens will join the venue on 10 June 2014, from the Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) where he has served as finance manager since 2002.

ATUL LALL has been appointed vice president of operations and general manager for The Claridges Hotels & Resorts, based at the group’s corporate office at The Claridges New Delhi. He joins the company from Fairmont Jaipur, where he served as general manager.

MAXIMILIAN VON REDEN has been appointed general manager of the Mandarin Oriental Jakarta. With a 21-year career in the hospitality industry, von Reden joined Mandarin Oriental in 2007 and most recently served as hotel manager at the Mandarin Oriental Tokyo.

JOAQUIN MEDINA has been announced as the new general manager for Tjendana Resorts Management in Bali. In the new role, Medina will be responsible for the operations at Tjendana’s seven villas and resorts on the island. He has previously worked with Melia and Aston International.

DEBDYUTI DASGUPT has become the new cluster director of finance for Marriott in Thailand, overseeing the JW Marriott Hotel Bangkok, Renaissance Koh Samui Resort & Spa and Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok. He was previous responsible for four Marriott hotels in Dubai.

ANDREW GEE has been promoted to the role of regional director of sales & marketing for Australia & New Zealand for Outrigger Hotels & Resorts. Previously, Gee served as director of sales & marketing for Outrigger on the Lagoon, Fiji. He will be based in Sydney.

KAREN MARVEL now becomes the new director of sales & marketing for Outrigger on the Lagoon Fiji and Castaway Island Fiji resorts, based in Sydney. The move marks a promotion for Ms Marvel, who was formerly head of sales & marketing for the Castaway Island resort.

JASON ZVATORA has been announced as Outrigger Hotels & Resorts’ new regional director of revenue & distribution for Australia and Fiji. Previously, he was in charge of revenue and distribution for Outrigger on the Lagoon, Fiji. Zvatora will now be based on the Gold Coast.

CLAIRE GRUEL has been appointed assistant food & beverage manager at the Novotel Bangkok Impact. Having lived and worked in Dalian and Shanghai, Ms Gruel began her hotel career as F&B coordinator at Novotel Shanghai Atlantis. She was later promoted to assistant F&B manager.