Friday 5 June 2026 – Trinity Bridge Friday news briefing
We hope you have had a great week. Here’s our roundup of senior people moves across the hotel sector to keep you informed and up to date.
** A round-up of this week’s people moves in the hospitality sector
Accor has announced that current Chairman and Chief Executive Officer; Sébastien Bazin will step down from his role by May 2028, or earlier if a successor is appointed. Sébastien has led the company since 2013, and during his tenure the group’s portfolio has expanded from 13 to 48 brands.
YOTEL has announced the appointment of Paul Harnedy to the role of Chief Operating Officer. He joins from Cedar Capital Partners where he served as Executive Vice President & Head of Asset Management.
The group have also announced the promotions of Michael Whitehead to SVP, People, Talent & Learning and Ryan Dance to SVP, Commercial Strategy.
Justin Purves has joined UK-based luxury hotel group, The Set Collection as Vice President of Global Sales. Based in London, Justin brings over 25 years of hospitality experience to his new role, most recently serving as Senior Account Director at Belmond, part of the LVMH group.
Virgin Hotels Collection has announced two key appointments to the senior F&B team; Jason Rochaleau been promoted to the role of Corporate Food & Beverage Director, Americas from his current position as Corporate Director of Food & Beverage. And Barry Vera has been appointed Director of Culinary & Beverage, EMEA. Barry has prevoiusly served as Culinary Director for The ONE Group.
Accor has announced the promotion of Nicolas Martinez to Senior Vice President, Development & Strategy, Latin America & Spanish-speaking Caribbean, Luxury & Lifestyle. Nicolas has been with the group since 2021 and he will also join Accor’s global development committee as part of his new role.
IHG Hotels & Resorts has announced the promotion of Joanna Kurowska to the role of Vice President, Middle East & Africa Development. Joanna has been with the group for nearly 15 years, and since 2021 as led the UK and Ireland business, overseeing a portfolio of more than 400 open and pipeline hotels.
Kerzner International has announced the promotion of Mattheos Georgiou to the role of Head of Global Operations. Mattheos joined the group in 2022 as Global Vice President of Operations and in his new role will oversee three of the groups brands: One&Only Resorts and Private Homes; SIRO; and Rare Finds.
Airbnb has appointed Bhavna Dadlani as Head of the newly formed Airbnb Services business line for Asia Pacific. She brings a strong track record in commercial growth, having previously held the role of founding Country General Manager of Uber Eats in Sri Lanka before taking on a senior regional leadership role in Singapore.
Josh Littman has been named as the new Head of Development, EMEA at Langham Hospitality Group. Josh most recently served as Vice President of Development, EMEA at Starwood Hotels, overseeing regional growth for Baccarat Hotels, 1 Hotels and Treehouse Hotels.
Radisson Hotel Group has announced the appointment of Davashish Srivastava to the role of Vice President, Development, South Asia. He has been with the group for nine years, most recently holding the role of Senior Director, Development, South Asia.
Ivan King has joined Carton House, a Fairmont Managed Hotel as the new General Manager. Ivan most recently served as CEO at Luttrellstown Castle Resort and also serves as a Board Director of the Irish Hospitality Institute and is Chair of IHI RISE, a platform dedicated to supporting and developing emerging hospitality leaders.
Marlene Poynder has been appointed as the new General Manager for the Waldorf Astoria, Sydney, scheduled to open in 2027. She joins from The Carlyle, in New York where she held the role of Managing Director.
The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts have announced the promotion of Mayank Sangal to the role of Director of Sales from his position as Associate Director of Sales and Senior Sales Account Manager at The Leela Ambience Convention Hotel, Delhi.
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