These new industry appointments are bound to shake up your Friday. Because they’re moving and shaking, get it? Sorry, but it is the end of the week.

Hayman Island by InterContinental appoints Mark Eletr as resort manager to lead a new era of luxury

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has today announced Mark Eletr will lead the region’s most awaited luxury destination launch in 2019, joining Hayman Island by InterContinental as resort manager. The renowned hotelier is one of several senior appointments to be announced, with Wensdae Lucas as HR Manager and Lindsay Williams as rooms division manager.

Eletr has been at the helm of international luxury icons for over 20 years, most recently as Vice President & Regional Director of Operations at Karma Group in Asia. As a native Queenslander, Eletr’s tenure in luxury resorts began with over seven years at Green Island Resort on the Great Barrier Reef, before escalating to his first General Manager role in 2007 with the boutique island icon, Voyages, Lizard Island.

Eletr’s career spans considerably from Australia to South East Asia and the United Arab Emirates, with high-profile international postings in Group General Manager roles within Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas and Akaryn Hotel Group.

TFE Hotels appoints general manager to launch the Calile Hotel

TFE Hotels has appointed Jeremy Nordkamp as general manager of Brisbane’s most exciting new address, The Calile Hotel, which is due to open later this month.

Nordkamp brings more than 10 years of experience in hospitality management and a wealth of knowledge to the TFE Hotels team. In his most recent role as Resort Manager at Kandima Maldives, Mr Nordkamp played an important role in the hotel’s pre-opening team and oversaw the entire resort operations and support departments post-opening.

Nordkamp will be a key player in positioning The Calile Hotel as Brisbane’s most desirable destination. With rich knowledge gained in some of the finest hotels in the world, he will bring his passion for quality guest service to The Calile Hotel.

The Calile Hotel will open its doors on 24 September as Australia’s first urban resort, celebrating a subtropical climate combined with city streetscape. Guests can enjoy the latest in fashion, cocktail bars, a luxurious spa and award-winning restaurants within the hotel itself and the wider James Street precinct. The building is designed by Brisbane architects Richards & Spence, whose creations draw on landscaped facades, as they do along James Street.

Lisa King takes up state’s top role

Corporate Traveller is pleased to announce the recent appointment of Lisa King to the position of General Manager West Australia.

Lisa King has been with the Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG) for over 13 years and with Corporate Traveller since 2012 – playing an instrumental role in the growth of the business, as a member of the WA management team for four years. In her new role King will oversee the Perth office which incorporates some 40 staff, including six travel teams.

King has extensive experience managing people and overseeing operations and will bring a fresh dynamic to the region and the FCTG Senior Leadership Team. With her strong business acumen, King is committed to driving the business in WA by working in partnership with clients to help them achieve their business goals – and to make their travel faster, easier and more cost-effective.

“As a born and bred West Australian I am thrilled to be taking on this role, especially at a time when we are seeing a positive outlook for the resources sector which continues to show promising signs of growth. With our client portfolio being heavily resource sector based, this makes it an exciting time to be taking the helm,” she said.

Mark Meehan appointed Managing Director of Travelport’s newly formed APACMEA region

Travelport, the leading travel commerce platform, today announced it has appointed Mark Meehan as Managing Director of its newly formed Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa (APACMEA) region.

Meehan has built a distinguished career at Travelport, having been successful in a range of high-profile global and regional roles over his 19-year tenure with the company. Most recently, he was Managing Director of Travelport’s Asia Pacific operations, which grew by 10 per cent during 2017. Prior to this, Meehan was Managing Director for Travelport Africa, a role that saw him grow the company’s share across the continent and establish owned operations in both South Africa and Kenya.

Before his time in Africa, Meehan was Senior Vice President of Global Operations at Travelport, charged with driving excellence in customer service across the business. He also held the role of Vice President of Finance and Acquisition, where he led the integration of several businesses acquired in countries including the United Kingdom, Italy and Denmark.

In his new role, Meehan will focus on bringing greater alignment across Travelport’s operations in Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa; high growth territories that share commonalities in customer needs and operational delivery. While he will continue to be based in Singapore, where he lives with his family, he will also regularly work from Travelport’s office in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which acts as the company’s sub-regional headquarters for the Middle East and Africa.

Sri Lanka’s Iconic Galle Face Hotel embarks on exciting new era with appointment of Leading Hotel Executive

The legendary Galle Face Hotel, which opened in 1864 and is the oldest hotel east of Suez, has appointed a new General Manager and Area Vice President as it seeks to re-establish its position as Asia’s most illustrious and historic hotel. Robert C. Hauck, a highly skilled and respected hospitality professional with more than 25 years of experience, has been chosen to lead this exquisite heritage hotel into a new era of excellence.

With qualifications from Cornell University and École Hôtelière Montreux, the famous Swiss hospitality school, Hauck has worked for some of the world’s leading hotel groups including Raffles and Shangri-La in an impressive career that has spanned more than ten countries and territories. Most recently he was GM of Kanuhura, the luxury resort in the Maldives, which he successfully re-launched following a multi-million-dollar renovation and led to a series of prestigious awards.

At the Galle Face Hotel, he joins illustrious company as the 36th GM and second German national in the position following Mr Stchutz (1902-1914), and a property with a reputation for legendary staff including Kottarapattu Chattu Kuttan, who welcomed famous dignitaries to the hotel in a career spanning 72 years making him the longest serving doorman in the world.

As General Manager and Area Vice President, Hauck will now be tasked with restoring the Galle Face Hotel’s status as one of Asia’s most desirable destinations, creating unsurpassed guest experiences that reflect the warmth, culture and elegance of Sri Lankan hospitality.