Edouard Ettedgui, Chief Executive of Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, has announced a restructuring of the Group’s senior management in The Americas, following the retirement of Wolfgang Hultner as CEO, The Americas, on April 30, 2008, after 30 years of dedicated service to the Group.
To support the Group’s significant growth in the region, Mandarin Oriental has announced the following appointments which will be effective from May 1, 2008.
Richard Baker will be appointed Executive Vice President, Northern Region, and will be responsible for the Group’s hotels in the Northeast, the West Coast and the Midwest of the United States. Richard joined the Group in May 2006 as General Manager, Corporate, and has been responsible for providing operational input to the Group’s hotels under development in The Americas. Prior to joining Mandarin Oriental, Richard held senior management positions with Rosewood Hotels and Resorts and Four Seasons.
Jorge Gonzalez will be appointed Executive Vice President, Southern Region, which covers the hotels on the Southeast Coast of the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. Jorge will also maintain his position as General Manager of Mandarin Oriental, Miami, which he has held since joining the Group in July 1999. He previously held senior management roles at Loews Hotels, Ritz Carlton and Hyatt.
Both Executive Vice Presidents will be responsible for overseeing all operational aspects of the hotels in their respective regions, and will report directly to Edouard Ettedgui.
Mandarin Oriental has also announced the appointment of Rudy Tauscher as Area Vice President, New York, Boston and Chicago. In his new role Rudy will oversee operations at each hotel under development in Boston and Chicago and will continue in his existing role as General Manager of the award-winning Mandarin Oriental, New York. Rudy will report to Richard Baker.
Terry Stinson, who joined the Group in April 1998 as Development Director, will assume the title of Development Director and President, The Americas. Terry will continue to oversee the Group’s global Development and Technical Services departments and will work closely with the Group’s external partners on the continued development and execution of new Mandarin Oriental projects around the world. In his enhanced role, Terry will be the Group’s most senior representative in The Americas, providing strategic advice to the region’s leadership team. He will continue to be based in the Group’s Atlanta office, reporting to Edouard Ettedgui.
“Wolfgang Hultner has played a pivotal role in the development of our brand during his 30 years with our Group, in particular in The Americas, starting with the opening of Mandarin Oriental, San Francisco, in 1987 and, most recently, with the opening of Mandarin Oriental Riviera Maya in Mexico. During his term as CEO of The Americas, our portfolio in the region grew to its current size of seven operating hotels with eight projects under development,” said Edouard Ettedgui, Chief Executive of Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group. “I am confident that the new appointments will provide a solid platform for our future growth, and I look forward to working with my colleagues in their new roles,” he added.
Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group is the award-winning owner and operator of some of the world’s most prestigious hotels and resorts. Mandarin Oriental now operates, or has under development, over 10,000 rooms in 23 countries with 16 hotels in Asia, 14 in The Americas and nine in Europe and North Africa.