IHG Hotels & Resorts today announces some exciting leadership appointments that will further enable it to drive operational excellence and outperformance across its hotel estate.
Operations & Performance
In the operations space, IHG is making a change to its leadership structure that best prepares it for the future, and has appointed three Directors of Operations (DOp) to lead its respective estates: Luxury & Lifestyle; Premium & Essentials; and Franchise.
A significant differentiator for IHG, it has meant a fundamental change from having a single head of operations with responsibility for more than 100 hotels across all brands, to having three senior DOPs who will take full responsibility for the end-to-end performance of their smaller, segment-aligned portfolio. The DOps will be out in hotels regularly, driving operational excellence and ensure IHG consistently has brand defining hotels that deliver on performance and guest expectations.
These are senior roles that report through to Matt Tripolone, Managing Director – Australasia & Pacific, and will work actively with IHG corporate stakeholders to making the most effective use of IHG’s powerful support levers to drive performance and unlock further value for our owners.
Emma Hynes joined IHG in January us as Director of Operations – Australasia & Pacific, leading the bulk of its Premium & Essentials branded managed estate in Australasia, including the Crowne Plaza, voco and Holiday Inn brands.
IHG is delighted to welcome someone of Emma’s calibre and background to the family. Her 15 years’ of leadership across large hotel estates, including 10 years as Area or Regional General Manager for NSW & ACT at TFE Hotels, means she has the vast experience to drive outcomes for key stakeholders and to empower, entrust and encourage hotel leaders.
Emma is well embedded with the broader industry as a member of the NSW State Advisory Committee, and is extremely well qualified, having competed education in Hotel Real Estate / Asset Management, Strategic Thinking and Project Management.
Joel Gordon will start as Director of Operations, Franchised, Australasia & Pacific on 20 February, initially looking after the IHG’s Franchised estate in the region, and later adding additional support to parts of its managed estate.
Joel is an experienced operator whose career in hotels spans over 20 years, with his most recent role as Regional General Manager for Crystalbrook Collection overseeing the opening and operations of hotels throughout Queensland. During this time, he played a pivotal role in the design and development of the Crystalbrook Collection brand and company launch, and was instrumental in the opening of three luxury hotels within eighteen months.
Until recently, Joel was a member of the board of Tourism Tropical North Queensland and a member of the advisory council for Advance Cairns.
James Young will join IHG as Director of Operations, Luxury & Lifestyle, overseeing the Luxury & Lifestyle estate which includes the InterContinental, Kimpton, and Vignette brands across Australasia and the Pacific. James’ exact start date is still being finalised as he plans his relocation to Sydney.
James began his career at the InterContinental Park Lane and since then he has worked in seven different countries across Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, primarily with IHG. Most recently, he joins us from WMC Group where he was Vice President Resource Planning and Development, overseeing corporate functions as well as the operations of the Reverie Saigon, Vietnam’s only member of Leading Hotels of the World.
He holds an MBA and a B.Sc. (Hons) in International Hospitality and Tourism, and is a Fellow of the UK Institute of Hospitality.
Completing the operations leadership structure, Sam Swaffield, as Director of Performance – JAPAC, will act as a conduit between IHG and the DOPs, paving the way for their success by setting the strategy for performance that will be adopted and embedded across the estate, as well as reducing complexity by streamlining initiatives, creating tools and support services.
Growth & New Hotel Openings
As IHG continues to significantly expand its estate across its brand portfolio in Australasia & Pacific, it is also welcoming some great leaders in its growth team.
Cameron Burke joined the IHG family as Director, Development Australasia & Pacific on 13 February, and is based in IHG’s Sydney office.
Cameron began his career as a corporate lawyer, where he spent a number of years advising hospitality companies throughout Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Middle East region, including Delaware North in Australia, and Wyndham Worldwide in London.
In 2019, Cameron joined Choice Hotels to lead their corporate development function for the Asia-Pacific. In this role, Cameron was responsible for delivering non-organic cross-border portfolio growth through M&A, direct capital allocations and strategic partnerships targeting advanced and emerging markets across the region.
Cameron joins IHG with a wealth of corporate expertise and will drive the execution of IHG’s portfolio growth strategy for Australasia & the Pacific, reporting to Matt Tripolone.
Malcolm Zancanaro joined IHG at the end of 2022 as Director, New Hotels Australasia & Pacific, based in the IHG Sydney office and reporting to Simon Morley, Head of HLG – JAPAC.
With another record year of openings ahead in 2023 – and a growing pipeline – IHG is thrilled to have brought Malcolm on board to focus on opening these new hotels on time, on brand and ready to delight guests, and owners!
Malcolm has more than 30 years’ experience in the hotel industry, starting at the Hyatt Kingsgate in Sydney, followed by various hotel operations and corporate roles across Australia, New Zealand and Asia Pacific. Most recently, he was General Manager for the Grand Hyatt Beijing since 2021, which saw him lead a $100 million renovation and hotel repositioning.
He has an Advanced Certificate of Management from the University of South Australia along with management development training that includes management, systems, Talent Quest 360 and Situational Leadership.
Rounding out IHG’s capability in the growth space, it is also delighted to welcome Isabella Ledden as Corporate Counsel, Australasia & Pacific in the Sydney Support Centre in 2022, reporting to Breanne Stratford, Head of Legal – JAPAC.
This major investment in senior leadership creates a world-class organisational structure that sets IHG, its hotels and its owners, up for the best success across every measure, with the right resourcing in the right places.
