Our Flavour of the Week is bursting with the tang of executive reshuffles and zesty fresh faces, best enjoyed with a dollop of sour cream and a few corn chips.

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings reshuffles APAC team

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, which operates Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), Oceania Cruises (OCI) and Regent Seven Seas Cruises (RSSC), has announced a number of strategic appointments in the Asia-Pacific region (APAC).

Designed to provide a more distinct focus for each respective brand under the NCLH banner, the new organisational realignment in APAC reflects enhancements at head office level in Miami, including the new appointment of Harry Sommer as president and chief executive officer NCL.

The new direction will see Steve Odell spearhead the company’s upper-premium and luxury brands as senior vice president and managing director OCI and RSSC APAC and see Ben Angell leading the contemporary brand as vice president and managing director NCL APAC.

Leveraging his comprehensive specialist experience in upper premium and luxury cruise line operations and promotion, Steve Odell (pictured above) will oversee the sales, marketing and passenger services functions for OCI and RSSC across APAC.

Reporting to Steve will be Jason Worth, vice president and general manager of OCI Australia and New Zealand; Lisa Pile, vice president and general manager of RSSC Australia and New Zealand and key executives across APAC for both brands.

Singapore Tourism Board Oceania welcomes new team members

Singapore Tourism Board (STB) Oceania has announced two new appointments, with Oliver Chong taking on the role of executive director Oceania and Anthony Valeriano joining the team as manager, Oceania.

Commencing 1 November, Oliver will oversee the operations and in-market activities carried out by the STB Oceania team based in Sydney, continuing to ensure that Singapore maintains its leading position as a compelling business and leisure destination for both Australians and New Zealanders.

An STB veteran, Oliver joined the Singapore Tourism Board in 1993 and has held several leadership positions from communications and mega-events to media relations and marketing & capability development, where he has been instrumental in developing marketing competencies and skillsets for the Board’s officers. He was also regional director Europe, where he steered the operations and in-market activities that were carried out in Europe by STB’s Frankfurt, London and Moscow regional offices to achieve positive growth in visitor arrivals from European markets.

Experience Co. appoints non-executive directors

Experience Co. has announced the appointment of Neil Cathie and Michelle Cox as independent non-executive directors of the company.

Cathie joins the board immediately and will also join the audit and risk committee and nomination and remuneration committee. Cox will join the board in January 2020.

The Lux Collective the latest account win for AWA

Independent communications agency Anne Wild & Associates (AWA) has secured the  public relations account for The Lux Collective – a portfolio of 13 luxurious resorts and hotels located across Mauritius, Reunion Island, the Maldives and China – with future openings scheduled in Mauritius, Vietnam, France, Italy, the UAE and China over the next five years.

The Lux Collective encompasses four distinct hotel brands – LUX* Resorts & Hotels, SALT, Tamassa, and SOCIO – each with their very own unique personality and energy, yet sharing an overarching commitment to responsible management and inclusive economic development.

Hilton appoints Scott Thomson as cluster GM for Hilton Auckland & Hilton Lake Taupo

Hilton has announced Scott Thomson as cluster general manager for Hilton Auckland & Hilton Lake Taupo.

With a hospitality career spanning more than 25 years, Thomson joins Hilton Auckland & Hilton Lake Taupo from his most recent role as general manager of Hilton Taipei.

Previously, Thomson held various general manager roles, including cluster responsibilities, in Hong Kong, Mumbai and New Delhi.

At Hilton Auckland, he will be responsible for the 187-room property inclusive of 21 new guest rooms and suites that opened earlier this year on level eight of the hotel and Hilton Lake Taupo, consisting of 113 guest rooms and suites.

Amadeus announces tech and hospitality hires

Amadeus has announced that Sylvain Roy has been appointed SVP of technology, platforms engineering at Amadeus (TPE) and will also join the company’s executive committee.

In this role, Roy will be responsible for delivering consistently stable and reliable platforms across all of Amadeus’ businesses, with a strong focus on continuing to automate operations and drive innovation within Amadeus’ cloud-based architecture.

Roy, who in his most recent role as vice president was leading Amadeus’ R&D Airlines Digital products and services organisation covering more than 700 employees across 10+ sites worldwide, is an established engineering and technical leader at Amadeus.

Meanwhile, Maria Taylor has been appointed as head of commercial, Asia-Pacific for the hospitality business unit excluding the Indian subcontinent and China.

Taylor was previously responsible for Asia-Pacific sales at TravelClick, which Amadeus acquired in October 2018. In this role, Taylor supervised the expansion of the in-region team to more than 100 employees and opened new sales territories in the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and New Zealand.

Byron at Byron welcome Crystalbrook Collection and say farewell to John and Lyn Parché

Byron at Byron, a Crystalbrook Collection Resort hosted an evening to farewell Lyn and John Parché who have been at the forefront of managing the luxury resort for the last 15 years.

Crystalbrook Collection partnered with the Byron Bay Chamber of Commerce to host local business and community leaders to enjoy a cocktail party in the beachfront resort’s subtropical rainforest.

The evening was a chance for the community to meet the new resort operators, Crystalbrook Collection. The Group has already made their imprint on Cairns and Sydney; and are committed to celebrating sustainability, individuality and championing the local environment.

American Airlines shuffles top execs 

American Airlines has shuffled a number of top executives and the retirement of  Kerry Philipovitch, the airline’s senior vice president of customer experience at the end of the year.

According to Skift, David Seymour has been appointed senior vice president of operations, Vasu Raja will become senior vice president of network strategy, Don Casey will take on the role of senior vice president of revenue.

Kurt Stache, formerly vice president of marketing, loyalty and sales will fill Philipovitch’s role as senior vice president of customer experience.

Fusion announces new GM for Fusion Suites Saigon

Ray Jingshu Zhang joins Fusion this month as the new general manager of Fusion Suites Saigon, a wellness-inspired hotel in Vietnam’s largest city.

Zhang steps into his first general manager role after a decade of working in the hospitality industry throughout the Asia-Pacific region. The China-born, Australian national most recently worked as deputy general manager (pre-opening) of Banwa Private Island, a secluded luxury resort island in the Philippines that caters to high-net-worth individuals.

American Express Global Business Travel appoints new chief information security officer

American Express Global Business Travel (GBT) has appointed David Levin as its new chief information security officer (CISO). Levin reports to chief information technology officer David Thompson and is based in Phoenix, Arizona.

Levin is responsible for GBT’s global information security program.  He leads a team focused on delivering high-quality, standardised solutions that mitigate risk while supporting innovation, efficiency and experience for both GBT customers and employees.

Levin brings more than 20 years of experience in the information security and risk management space. Most recently, he served as chief information security officer for Western Union, building the company’s world-class cybersecurity program.