AccorHotels has appointed Mark Willis as Chief
Executive Officer - Middle East and Africa.
Based in Dubai, Willis
will be responsible for overseeing a combined network of close to
400 hotels in operation and pipeline across the Middle East and
Africa.
With over 30 years of
hospitality industry experience, Willis will be tasked with driving
operational excellence through top line performance, quality and
guest satisfaction as well as fueling the region’s growth by
nurturing a talent pool expected to reach 50,000 employees by 2021.
Previous to this role, Willis was the
President for the Asia region with Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, a
very dynamic area with a robust expansion strategy to open 30
properties in by 2020.
Over the span of 20 years, his
career has also taken him on a journey into a number of senior
leadership roles within the Radisson Hotel Group (formerly Carlson
Rezidor Hotel Group), including Regional Director for the United
Kingdom, Area Vice President, Middle East & Sub Sahara Africa and
Senior Vice President Middle East, Africa & Turkey. It was in this
last role with the Radisson Hotel Group, that Willis oversaw all
brands within a portfolio of 85 hotels with over 80 hotels in the
development pipeline.
“Mark has demonstrated exceptional leadership in operational,
commercial and strategic areas and understands the travel and
hospitality industry intuitively. His guest centric approach
combined with a deep understanding of the Middle East and Africa
will be invaluable as we continue delivering cherished experiences
for our guests and demonstrable returns for our valued partners,”
said Chris Cahill, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, AccorHotels.
Willis has completed a number of
senior management programs at Cornell University, New York and
holds an MBA in International Business from Oxford Brooks
University in the UK. He has also held active Board Member
positions within the Hospitality industry in both the UK and the
Middle East.
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