New roles for the industry’s movers and shakers

Cybiz Superbrands

Puneet Verma has been appointed as CEO, Cybiz Superbrands. He was amongst the core team of five individuals who established the RE/MAX brand in India, thereby making him an integral part of the Cybiz family. Since his induction over eight years ago, he has added a lot of value to the group by conducting intensive research and surveys and infusing his theoretical insights into practical knowledge. He has trained over 50 batches of franchise sales consultants under his supervisionand has conducted over 400 Franchise Roadshows, Seminars, Expos across India.

Accor Hotels

Louise Daley has been appointed as executive vice president and chief financial officer of Accor Hotels Asia Pacific. She has worked at AccorHotels for 25 years in senior executive roles and as the company’s representative on joint venture businesses, she was previously CEO for Accor Plus. Prior to this, Daley was CFO for Accor in the Pacific, as well as director of Accor’s joint ventures Accor Vacation Club, Reef Casino Cairns (a public company), executive health solutions and Accor Advantage Plus. In addition to these roles, she was chairman of the Accor Corporate Social Responsibility Committee in the Pacific. She now takes on one of the most senior roles within AccorHotels Asia Pacific, working closely with chairman and CEO, Michael Issenberg and the executive team.

Srinivas Srirangam has been appointed as general manager of the soon to be launched Novotel Imagica Khopoli. Srirangam’s international experience of handling leading MICE, leisure and wedding properties is the biggest asset for Novotel Imagica Khopoli. He has worked in countries like Dubai, Egypt, Abu Dhabi, Canada, Bermuda and the Caribbean. He has opened Novotel Hyderabad Airport and launched Novotel Kolkata Hotel & Residences.

JW Marriott Hotel New Delhi Aerocity

JW Marriott Hotel New Delhi Aerocity has appointed Corey E Asato as chef de cuisine at Akira Back, the signature restaurant that specialises in Japanese cuisine with a Korean essence. He started his career in January 2004 as kitchen manager for UNLV International Gaming Institute Banquet Hall, Las Vegas, Nevada. In May 2009, he moved on to co-own his own company- Island Breeze Lunch Wagon and Catering- Las Vegas, NV. Following this stint, he then worked as the sous chef at Island Sushi and Hawaiian Grill @ Plaza Hotel and Casino- Las Vegas, NV before moving to Kumi Japanese Bar + Restaurant By Akira Back @ Mandalay Bay Hotel.

Giovanni Ricci has been appointed as Italian chef de cuisine at K3, JW Marriott Hotel New Delhi Aerocity. He started his career as a commis chef at Hotel Dolomiti in San Benedetto del Tronto, Italy. After this stint, he joined Ambassador Hotel in San Benedetto del Tronto, Italy as the chef de partie. Between 1992- 1999 he worked as sous chef at various places like Hotel Sabbiadoro in San Benedetto del Tronto, Italy, Club Hotel in Riccione, Italy, Restaurant Amici of Fridland, Germany to name a few.

RezNext

RezNext has announced additions to its senior management team. Joining the company are Balaji Viswanathan as chief financial officer, Barti Somaasundaram as chief technology officer, Dhiraj Trivedi as president, revenue management services and Ron Bialkowski as senior VP operations.

–   – –   –   –

Viswanathan has over 18 years of experience working with blue chip companies in India and the Middle East. At RezNext, he will be responsible for leading finance functions, compliance and regulatory matters and driving improvements through financial business transformation. Somaasundaram will be responsible for strengthening the technology platform, identifying new opportunities to expand product features and offerings and providing a robust technology infrastructure to RezNext’s growing customer base. He has over 14 years of expertise in the travel technology industry where he has held various leadership roles across software development, technical operations and test engineering disciplines.

Trivedi will lead the revenue management service function delivering industry leading revenue consulting for RezNext’s customers, helping them maximise their revenue potential. Bialkowski will lead efforts to consolidate account management, onboarding and support functions to scale up operations as the company quickly expands across markets. He has over three decades of experience in the travel technology space managing multiple IT functions including applications development, quality assurance, project office, and data warehousing.