From left: Peter Henley; Douglas Martell
A leadership transition is occurring at ONYX Hospitality Group with CEO Peter Henley, chief commercial officer Duncan Webb and chief people officer Anand Rao retiring from the Bangkok-based hotel chain effective end-June.
Henley will be succeeded by current COO Douglas Martell who joined ONYX in mid-2014. Webb, who has been with ONYX for 28 years since its early Amari days, is succeeded by Debrah Pescoe who came onboard ONYX in early 2012 as vice president sales, and Rao by Suganya Wiwitwanit who joined in March last year as senior vice president human resources.
Henley counts succession planning, along with building a strong team and culture, as among his biggest achievements in the nine years with the company. “That we have managed to assemble such a strong team and culture, that we have achieved what I said we would back in 2008. That when three senior members the team retire at the same time, we have three fantastic replacements ready to step up,” he said.
Henley grew ONYX to 42 hotels. A second ‘strategic road map’ called Delivering Success, to be led by Martell, targets at least 99 operating properties by 2024 but, beyond numbers, will focus on further growth, operational excellence and owner, guest and employee satisfaction, Henley said.
When asked if he was retiring completely, he said: “I am glad to say yes although I am sure my new boss (his wife) will have certain duties for me to discharge!”
