New roles for the industry’s movers and shakers

VITS

Ranjan Kumar Das has joined as general manager of VITS luxury business hotels, Mumbai. Das has been associated with the hospitality industry for the last 16 years and has worked in various capacities. He started his career in the F&B service department and worked with various hotel of repute, before joining Sarovar Hotels as a training manager. His job profile included training, talent nurturing and pre-opening. He worked his way up to the position of general manager and has managed their properties in Shirdi, Lucknow and Delhi.

Vivanta by Taj

Vinod Valson has been appointed as general manager of Vivanta by Taj, Yeshwantpur. Valson has previously worked in Vivanta by Taj, MG Road as general manager. He will replace Perpetua Kumar, who retires after a 20 year journey with the Taj Group who has lead the Vivanta by Taj, Yeshwantpur for over four years as general manager. Valson is an alumni of the Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology, Mumbai.

Sanjay Umashankar has been appointed as general manager of Vivanta by Taj – President, Mumbai. Prior to this, Umashankar was general manager of Blue Sydney, Australia where he introduced new strategies to improve occupancy and diversified the market mix. Of his 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Umashankar has spent the last 11 years with the Taj Group. During this time, he has been the general manager of Umaid Bhawan Palace, Jodhpur and has also served as resident manager at Taj Lands End, Mumbai.

The Ritz Carlton, Bangalore

Raghu Menon has been appointed as general manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Bangalore. He has over 16 years of experience of working with international hotel brands across Australia, Asia, Middle East and the United Kingdom. Menon’s most recent role was general manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Shenzhen, China prior to which he was the hotel manager of The Ritz-Carlton & JW Marriott Hotel, Beijing. He is a graduate of International College of Hotel Management in Australia.

Shervani Hospitalities

Ahsan Shervani has been appointed as vice president of Shervani Hospitalities. Armed with an MBA in Hospitality from Les Roches International School of Hotel Management in Switzerland with a concentration in finance and a BSc in Management from Purdue University USA, Shervani along with his MBA class was working as a strategic consultant for the Beau Rivage Palace hotel, Lausanne before returning to India. He had also worked with Bharti Airtel, Gurgaon in 2010 as a consumer engagement executive and further joined Lemon Tree Hotels, New Delhi as an assistant sales and marketing manager in September 2011.

JW Marriott Mumbai

Ritesh Kumar Choudhary has joined JW Marriott Mumbai as director of food and beverage. He has 10 years of experience in delivering and sustaining revenue targets in the hotel industry and is adept at planning, supervising and managing food and beverage operations. Before making his way to JW Marriott Mumbai, he was associated with various hotels like the Taj Group and the Leela Group.

Shangri La Hotels and Resorts

Steven Taylor has been appointed as chief marketing officer (CMO) of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts effective January 5, 2015. Taylor will be based in the group’s corporate office in Hong Kong and will report to Greg Dogan, president and CEO, Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts. In his role as CMO, Taylor will oversee all functions across Shangri-La’s sales and marketing division, including revenue management, sales, digital marketing, brand communications, loyalty and partner marketing, customer insights and relationship management, reservations and distribution and corporate communications.

The Andaman, Langkawi

Christian Metzner has been appointed as general manager of The Andaman, a Luxury Collection Resort on Langkawi Island in Malaysia. Metzner joins the 178-room resort from the The Astor Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel in Tianjin, where he was general manager from April 2012. He was also previously the hotel manager of the The Westin Tianjin in China. Earlier stints include his role as director of sales and marketing for The Westin Tianjin and director of revenue management for The Westin Beijing.

Millennium & Copthorne Hotels

Richard Ong has been appointed as general manager operations – Asia of Millennium & Copthorne Hotels (M&C). Ong will assist the senior vice president, Asia, based in Singapore, to oversee the operations of M&C’s 13 regional hotels. Ong has more than 30 years of hospitality experience across countries such as Singapore, Australia, China, Japan and Korea. Prior to joining M&C, Ong was the general manager of ANA/Crowne Plaza Osaka, Japan.

Centara Hotels and Resorts

Andreas Fienbork joins Centara Hotels & Resorts as corporate director of sales for DACH and Eastern Europe. His responsibilities cover all German-speaking countries in Europe. Fienbork underwent a three-year apprenticeship programme in hotel management at Hilton Park Hotel Munich in Germany before becoming, in 1992, managing director of a privately owned Bavarian-style restaurant in Munich. Prior to his current appointment, he had been senior tourism manager for Chic Outlet Shopping at Ingolstadt Village and Wertheim Village, two luxury shopping destinations in Germany.

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