Hotel executive moves: Charlestowne, Lodging Dynamics, Noble, Ohana

Here is a compilation of the top executive moves of the past week in the hotel investment world, alphabetically (by company):

New global VP at Accor. Raffles Hotels & Resorts and Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, two of Accor’s leading luxury brands, announce the appointment of Olivier Eynard as global vice president, Food & Beverage. Based in Dubai, Olivier will lead the development and execution of the global food and beverage strategy across both brands. Olivier brings more than 20 years of international experience across luxury hotels, private members’ clubs and globally recognized restaurant brands. Most recently, he served as the COO at RIKAS Hospitality Group. Previously, Olivier held senior roles at The Arts Club and La Petite Maison.

New CFO of Aethos. Andrew Insch has been appointed as CFO at Zug, Switzerland-based Aethos Hotels. Insch brings more than 20 years of finance leadership experience across private equity-backed hospitality, real estate and consumer businesses, and most recently served as finance director at The Chesterford Group and previously held senior roles at St Modwen, iQ Student Accommodation (Blackstone) and Casual Dining Group (KKR).

Charlestowne names SVP. Mount Pleasant, South Carolina-based Charlestowne Hotels has appointed Tauseen Malik as senior vice president, operations. With more than 20 years of global experience across lifestyle, luxury and independent hotels, Malik joins Charlestowne Hotels from HHM Hotels, where he served as regional vice president of operations for the Lifestyle Division.

New CEO at H.I.G. Capital. Miami-based H.I.G. Capital has appointed Brian Schwartz as CEO, as the private equity firm advances its leadership transition and positions for its next phase of growth. Schwartz succeeds co-founder Sami Mnaymneh, who will transition to executive chairman alongside co-founder Tony Tamer, and will remain actively involved in the firm’s strategic direction and investment activities. Schwartz joined H.I.G. in 1994 and has held a range of senior leadership roles, most recently serving as co-president for more than six years, during which he oversaw day-to-day operations and firmwide strategy.

Lodging Dynamics names CCO. Provo, Utah-based Lodging Dynamics Hospitality Group has promoted Kristie Byrd to the newly created role of chief commercial officer. Byrd is a 31-year hospitality veteran and the company said the appointment marks the launch of a fully integrated commercial operating model designed to accelerate revenue performance and portfolio growth.

New exec at Noble. Atlanta-based Noble Investment Group has named Brandon Alexander as director of tax. Before joining Noble, Alexander worked in multi-entity tax and was most recently at Koch Industries, where he led consolidated state income tax reporting and planning, partnered with senior leadership and improved reporting and operations.

Ohana names new VP. Austin, Texas-based Ohana Real Estate Investors has named Grant Kobrin as vice president of investments. Kobrin brings a strong background in hospitality investing, with additional experience across public equities, special situations and related operating businesses. Before joining Ohana, he was an investment professional at KSL Capital Partners. He began his career in Barclays’ Real Estate, Gaming & Lodging Investment Banking group.

Sandpiper names new SVP. Richmond, Virginia-based Sandpiper Hospitality has promoted John Barrar to senior vice president, technology strategy and innovation. Barrar has been with Sandpiper Hospitality for more than three years, where he has already played a key leadership role in advancing the company’s IT infrastructure, systems integration work and technology foundation.

Starhotels names CCO. Florence, Italy-based Starhotels has named Alexandro Della Croce as chief commercial officer. He has over two decades of international experience in revenue management, distribution strategy, and commercial leadership across luxury hotel portfolios in Europe and North America. He joined Starhotels in 2019 as global director of revenue and distribution strategy. Before joining Starhotels, he worked at Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide and IHG Hotels & Resorts.

New CCO at Ultima Collection. Switzerland-based Ultima Collection has named Noelia Magnusson as chief commercial officer. Magnusson has over 15 years of international experience in luxury hospitality and joins the company from Aman Hotels & Resorts, where she served as global director of revenue management. Earlier in her career, she held senior roles across Asia-Pacific, leading commercial strategy for multi-property portfolios.