Exclusive: IHG promotes new CEOs for Australasia and Japan

IHG Hotels and Resorts has promoted two well-known figures from the Australasian market to the newly created CEO roles, with Matthew Tripolone and Abhijay Sandilya to take charge of the Australasia-Pacific and Japan regions respectively.

Both roles will report to Leanne Harwood, who has progressed to Senior Vice President, General Manager Japan, Australasia and Pacific.

Tripolone will return to Sydney from its current home in Dubai to assume the role of Managing Director – Australasia and Pacific, effective September 7. He occupies a role familiar to many in the local accommodation scene, having led the IHG Hotels and Resorts development team from 2014 to 2017 and playing a pivotal role in starting the company’s growth in Australasia. .

Some of Tripolone’s main signatures include InterContinental Perth, Crowne Plaza Sydney Darling Harbor and InterContinental Hayman Island Resort. Since 2017, he has served as Vice President of Development for Middle East and Africa, where he leads a team that has signed 17,000 new chambers over the past three years. Prior to joining IHG, Tripolone held a leadership position within the Accor Pacific development team.

At the same time, the current VP Development JAPAC of IHG, Abhijay Sandilya, will assume the role of Managing Director – Japan, from October 1. Sandilya will oversee one of the most important regions for IHG and leaves behind a litany of signings in Australasia, Japan, New Zealand, Fiji, Micronesia and New Caledonia.

Since assuming the development role in Japan in 2019, Sandilya has entered into major deals, including the signing of the Appi Kogen resort portfolio which will see the debut of the InterContinental, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn brands in the region, all operating collectively under the Ihgana brand in partnership with All Nippon Airways (ANA).

In their new roles, Tripolone and Sandilya will drive growth, performance and operations in their respective markets. IHG Senior Vice President and General Manager for Australasia and Japan, Leanne Harwood, said the company is exceptionally proud of what it has accomplished in Australasia and Japan in recent years.

“As we look to the future, we know we need to stay ahead of the market in terms of performance and growth and continue to build our reputation as a place of aspiration for talent to build their careers, ”said Harwood.

“This means that we not only have to keep our momentum going, we have to supercharge it.

“We believe this is the perfect time to evolve our business for the future. The appointment of general managers is a natural step for our company and gives us the ability to face the future with confidence and optimism. Matt and Abhijay are both proven and highly respected leaders, and they will help us accelerate IHG’s momentum and position us for the future.

The appointments and moves will see Jael Fischer elevated to Director of Development – Australasia and Pacific, reporting to Tripolone in Sydney and continuing her record of high development achievements in the Australasia and Pacific regions.

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