INTERCONTINENTAL Hotels Group (IHG) is shaking up its regional leadership team with a raft of new appointments.
From January 1, 2015, Karin Sheppard will become COO for Australasia, Japan, Korea & Asia, Middle East and Africa (AMEA) franchising, overseeing the operations and performance of hotels in the region. She is presently chief commercial officer for the same region.
She is part of the AMEA Franchise Operations Team and the Amea Regional Operating Committee, through which she will be responsible for the regional operations teams based in Sydney and Tokyo. Sheppard has been with IHG for 13 years and will relocate to Sydney to take up her new post.
Taking up Shepphard’s post is Nick Barton, formerly chief commercial officer for IHG’s Greater China region, who takes up the same post for AMEA out of Singapore. He was previously based in the company’s headquarters in Denham, overseeing the marketing and communications team for the Europe region before moving to Shanghai for five years.
Leanne Harwood, erstwhile vice president, commercial for AMEA, has been appointed vice president of operations for South-east Asia. In her new role, Harwood is responsible for the operations and performance of nearly 50 hotels across seven countries in South-east Asia and the 51 hotels in the company’s development pipeline in the region from her base in Bangkok.
Lincoln Barrett has moved to Bangkok for his latest appointment as vice president, commercial for AMEA, where he will drive overall revenue of the company’s managed hotels across the region. He was previously vice president of distribution & relationship marketing.
