Hotel executive moves: Concord, Dusit, Far East, Kempinski

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

New SVP at Alchemy. Charlotte, North Carolina-based Alchemy Real Estate Advisors (AREA), a national hotel-focused commercial real estate brokerage, has named Ros Mallory as senior vice president. Mallory brings over 25 years of experience in hospitality and investment to AREA. He spent 15 years with JLL’s Hotels & Hospitality Group, where he helped lead the East Coast hotel investment sales team and has extensive experience representing institutional owners, including private equity firms, public REITs, and CMBS special servicers. Most recently, Mallory served as chief investment officer for Pharos Hospitality.

New VP for Charlestowne. Charleston, South Carolina-based management company Charlestowne Hotels has appointed Tom Roman vice president of food & beverage. Roman has spent more than 20 years developing food and beverage programs for independent hotels and lifestyle brands. Most recently, he led food & beverage operations for Life House/Lark Hospitality. He has also held senior leadership positions with Castlerock Asset Management, Public Hotels and Tao Group.

Concord names general counsel. Raleigh, North Carolina-based Concord Hospitality has named Lisa Cox as general counsel. Cox joins Concord Hospitality from Camping World Holdings, where she served as vice president and associate general counsel, real estate and acquisitions. She has held senior roles at several prominent law firms, including Greenberg Traurig, Kirkland & Ellis and Katten Muchin Rosenman. She also spent a decade at Hyatt Hotels Corp. as senior counsel.

New group CEO for Dusit. The board of Bangkok, Thailand-based Dusit Thani Public Co. Ltd. has appointed Chanin Donavanik, acting chairman of the board, as group CEO, effective September 12. This follows Suphajee Suthumpun’s decision to take early retirement from her role as group CEO after accepting an invitation to join Thailand’s economic team as Minister of Commerce.

CEO change at Far East Hospitality. Singapore-based Far East Hospitality will undergo a major leadership change at the end of the year, with managing director Arthur Kiong, previously the CEO, set to retire on December 31. Kiong, who has been with the group for almost 14 years, will step back from his role but remain as a consultant until April to support the handover. Taking over the reins is deputy managing director Mark Rohner. He joined the company as COO in July 2024 before taking the deputy managing director role last month. With over 25 years of industry experience spanning hotel operations, asset management, and real estate investment, Rohner has also been closely involved in the group’s recent expansion in Japan.

New exec for Hilton UK & Ireland. Hilton UK & Ireland (UK&I) has appointed Terii Dunne as its director of development. Dunne has over 20 years of industry experience and joins from BWH Hotels, where she was director of business development for six years. She also worked for Shiva Hotels Group, Danubius Hotel Regents Park and London Premier Hotels.

New CDO for Kempinski. Geneva-based Kempinski Hotels has named Frank Veenstra as chief development officer. Veenstra has overseen major development projects worldwide in senior roles at Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, NH Hotels and Corinthia Hotels. He will lead the evolution of Kempinski’s development strategy and will be responsible for advancing and refining the organization’s growth strategy.

New VP for OTO Development. Kelly Haager has been promoted to vice president, Sales at Spartansburg, South Carolina-based OTO Development, where she will oversee business development, revenue generation, and profit maximization across OTO’s owned and managed hotel portfolios. Haager joined OTO in June 2006 in an on-property sales position and quickly advanced into corporate roles of increasing responsibility. Before joining OTO, Haager worked at Carlton Restaurants.

Outrigger names new VP. Honolulu-based Outrigger Hospitality Group appointed Jason Pirock as vice president, Global Brand Marketing. Pirock comes to Outrigger from Springboard Hospitality, where he led marketing, brand, and communications strategy for over 50 boutique hotels, restaurants, and bars nationwide. He has over 18 years of senior marketing leadership experience with Springboard, Aparium Hotel Group, and brands including Hyatt, Brookfield Retail Properties, Target, and Sears.

New exec at Virgin Hotels Collection. Virgin Hotels Collection has appointed Jeff Borman as global head of sales, revenue and distribution. He will lead sales, revenue management and distribution strategy across the company’s portfolio, including both Virgin Hotels and Virgin Limited Edition. With over 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Borman brings hotel operations, food & beverage, revenue optimization and digital distribution experience to the role. For two decades, he held senior leadership roles with Marriott and Hilton at the property, regional, and global levels. Most recently, Borman served as vice president, revenue optimization at Ashford Inc.

Woodworth Core adds advisors. Atlanta-based Woodworth Core Group has added John Corgel and John Longstreet as senior advisors. Corgel is  emeritus in the Nolan School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University and was the first director of the Center for Hospitality Research at the school. He was a senior research advisor to CBRE Hotels Research (previously PKF Hospitality Research). Since retiring from Cornell and CBRE, Corgel formed Cordial Hotel Property Research. Longstreet is the founder and partner of Hospitality Leaders Group, specializing in CEO coaching, organizational development, leadership effectiveness, cultural alignment and strategic planning.  Recently, he served as the president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association.