Friday 11 April 2025 – Trinity Bridge Friday news briefing
We hope you have had a great week. Please see below our round-up, keeping you up to date and informed about senior people moves from across the hotel sector.
** A round-up of this week’s people moves in the hospitality sector
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Maybourne Hotel Group has named Thomas Kochs as the new Managing Director for Claridge’s in London Mayfair. Thomas has also had a previous tenure with Claridges as General Manager, starring in the hit BBC series Inside Claridges whilst there. He joins from his most recent role with the Corinthia, London as Managing Director.
Michael Murray has been promoted by Aimbridge Hospitality to the role of Vice President of Operations for Evolution Hospitality, the group’s lifestyle operating division. Michael has been with the firm since 2016 and most recently served as General Manager for Hotel Paseo, an Autograph Collection Hotel by Marriott.
Ruby Hotels has promoted Fabian Zellinger to Chief Growth & Innovation Officer following the acquisition by InterContinental Hotels Group in February. Fabian has been with Ruby for the past six years and was previously Vice President of Corporate Development, Systems and New Ventures.
Lemon Tree Hotels has appointed Niket Sood as Vice President, Commercial Strategy. Niket joins from Accor where he held the role of Regional Director, Topline Performance for Accor, India and South Asia.
Ben Thomas has been appointed Chief Operating Officer, Europe for Highgate . Ben has spent the previous 11 years at Penta Hotels, most recently in the role of Chief Operating & Commercial Officer.
Neil Parry joins Cricklade Hotel & Spa in the Cotswolds as General Manager. Neil most recently held the role of Hotel Manager at IHG hotel; voco, St David’s in Cardiff.
Marine & Lawn Hotels & Resorts has announced three key leadership appointments across Scotland; Gina Clark has been promoted to General Manager at the Marine, North Berwick from her previous role of Director of Sales. Matthew Logie has been appointed General Manager at the Dornoch Station Hotel. Richard Taylor has taken the role of General Manager at the Slieve Donard Hotel & Spa.
Santo Collection has announced the appointment of Serafim Karouzakis as the new General Manager for the collection of three villa and suite resorts in Santorini. Serafim joins from TUI, Magic Life Candia Maris Resort & Spa in Crete where he held the role of General Manager.
Sanjiv Hulugalle has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams, Sri Lanka . Sanjiv was previously with KOHLER Co. as Group President of Hospitality & Real Estate.
Sunway Hospitality Group has announced the promotion of Alex Castaldi to the role of Chief Executive Officer. Alex has been with the group, one of Asia’s leading international hotel groups, since 2017 and was previously Chief Operating Officer.
Marriott has appointed Tracy Stoltz as General Manager for The Hythe, a Luxury Collection Resort in Vail. Tracy joins from Renaissance, Phoenix Downtown Hotel where she held the role of General Manager.
Surath Wickremasinghe has taken the role of Director of Food & Beverage for Jumeirah, Olhahali Island . Surath has previously held prominent roles with brands including Marriott, Hilton, Fairmont and Shangri-La.
Marriott has announced the promotion of Mohamed Afifi to Multi-Property Director of Sales & Distribution for Sheraton, Jumeirah Beach Resort and Aloft Palm Jumeirah from his previous role as Director of Sales for Sheraton, Jumeirah Beach Resort.
João Ferreira has been named as the new Director of Sales & Marketing at The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai . He most recently served as Multi Property Director of Sales & Distribution of the Dubai International Financial Centre.
Sofitel, Dubai Downtown has announced two key promotions to the senior leadership team; Amelia Mejia-Tagon takes the role of Director of Sales, Corporate and MICE; and Yasmina Laloun is the new Director of Marketing. At just 28 years old, Yasmina becomes the youngest to hold this title in the hotel’s history.
Eduoard Grosmangin has taken on the role of Managing Director for Rosewood, Mayakoba . He will continue to serve in his current position as Regional Vice President, Mexico & South America for the group.
W, Abu Dhabi has welcomed Spencer Wadama as the new General Manager. Spencer joins from SLS, Dubai Hotel & Residences where he has served as General Manager since its pre-opening phase.
Maram Kokandi has joined JW Marriott, Riyadh as the new Hotel Manager. She has nearly twenty years of experience in hospitality management as well as a strong academic background in the field.
The First Group Hospitality announces the appointment of Onur Avkan as General Manager for The First Collection at Jumeirah Village Circle. Onur has extensive experience in luxury hospitality with prior roles at Hilton, London Metropole and Hilton, London Gatwick Airport.
Deepu Raj has taken the role of Director of Sales & Marketing at Crowne Plaza Resort, Salalah . Previously Deepu served as Director of Sales & Marketing at Holiday Inn, Seeb Muscat.
Trinity Bridge is an Executive Search firm specialising in the hospitality, travel and leisure sectors.
We operate globally and build leadership teams for both multinational and domestic companies. We advise listed and privately owned businesses, as well as the portfolio companies of private equity funds and family offices.
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