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Hospitality major InterContinental Hotels Group today appointed Shantha de Silva as Head of South West Asia to oversee its India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka operations.
He will be leading the company’s business in the region, with a focus on India as a key market and will be responsible for driving growth and operational performance of 21 hotels across four brands: InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express, IHG said in a statement.
Commenting on the development, IHG India, Middle East and Africa Chief Operating Officer Pascal Gauvin said: “Shantha takes the helm of our India leadership team with a proven track record in driving growth in emerging markets.”
Since IHG entered India nearly 50 years ago there have been significant developments in the country’s hospitality landscape. The market holds immense potential and opportunity and having a strong leader at the forefront of the company’s operations is absolutely critical for its growth, he added.
De Silva will also play an integral role in driving IHG’s plans to have 150 hotels open or in the pipeline in India within the next 10 to 15 years, the statement said.
Based in Gurgaon, de Silva reports to Pascal Gauvin. He was most recently director of operations for Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines, responsible for the performance of 13 hotels across three brands in the region, including InterContinental Singapore.
IHG currently operates 18 hotels across four brands in India — InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express. The company has 46 hotels in its development pipeline that are due to open in the next three to five years.
The hospitality chain franchises, leases, manages or owns over 4,700 hotels and 693,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries, with almost 1,200 hotels in its development pipeline.
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