Richard Hartman appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Millennium & Copthorne Hotels

Millennium & Copthorne Hotels, an international group with a global portfolio of over 110 hotels, has appointed the highly regarded industry expert and past Hotelier of the Year, Richard Hartman, as Chief Executive Officer.

Richard, based in London, will be joining the Board of Millennium & Copthorne immediately following the company’s annual general meeting which is being held on 7 May 2008.

Richard, aged 62, has over 30 years experience in the hotel and restaurant industry. Since 1999 he has held senior positions at InterContinental Hotels Group (formerly known as Six Continents Hotels Group and Bass Hotels & Resorts) where he was a main Board Director from 2003 until 2007, most recently as Managing Director of InterContinental Hotels Group, Europe, Middle East and Africa with responsibility for 620 hotels. Previously he was Managing Director of InterContinental Hotels Group Asia Pacific between 1998 and 2003.

Prior to joining InterContinental Hotels Group in 1998 he was President of ITT Sheraton North America between 1992 and 1998, where he led a turnaround in performance, repositioning Sheraton North America as a premier brand of choice, and President of ITT Sheraton Asia Pacific between 1985 and 1992.

During his tenure as President of the Asia Pacific Division, he successfully executed an aggressive development strategy, growing the Division, substantially increasing earnings and firmly establishing Sheraton as one of the leading hotel chains in Asia and the South Pacific.

Richard has achieved numerous awards from governments, universities and business associations.

Following the appointment of Richard as Chief Executive Officer, Wong Hong Ren who is currently acting as Interim Chief Executive will revert to being an Executive Director. Wong Hong Ren’s executive responsibilities will include overseeing the Group’s finance function.

Commenting on the appointment, Mr Kwek Leng Beng, Chairman said, “We are very fortunate to have secured such an experienced, and senior individual as Richard and we look forward to benefiting from his strong operational skills as we continue to develop Millennium & Copthorne Hotels as a world class hotel group.”

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