Farkhad Kamilov

Farkhad Kamilov is Development Manager for Poland at IHG®, one of the world’s leading hotel companies. He is responsible for developing IHG’s brands across Poland through franchise and management agreements and working collaboratively with development partners to deliver strong returns for owners.

Farkhad joined IHG in 2010, starting at the 5-star luxury InterContinental Budapest as part of his finance graduate program. Since then, his international career has spanned various finance roles in Hungary, Austria and the UK at both hotel and corporate levels. Prior to his current position, Farkhad worked in Investment Analysis providing business partnering to IHG Europe’s development team in the fields of feasibility, deal structuring, contract valuation and IHG board approvals.

Farkhad is a graduate of Hotelschool The Hague in the Netherlands and attained a CIMA Certificate in Business Accounting. He is currently pursuing his CIMA Professional Qualification.

Alexey Korobkin

Alexey Korobkin is the Senior Development Director MEA at IHG^®, one of the world’s leading hotel companies. He joined IHG in 2021 and was responsible for leading the expansion of IHG’s brand portfolio in the Russia, CIS, Georgia, Ukraine & Baltics region through franchise and management agreements. Since 2022 he joined the MEA team and is looking after among others the expansion in the Kingdom of Saudia Arabia, Egypt, Oman, Kuwait and further countries.

Prior to joining IHG in 2021, Alexey spent 8 years in development roles at Azimut Hotels, Marriott International and InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG). In that time, Alexey helped to expand the portfolio of brands in the region and drive strong returns for owners. Prior to working in hotel development, Alexey headed the Moscow Consulting & Valuation practice of HVS Global Hospitality Services, where he specialized in strategic consulting, valuations and investment advisory across Russia & the CIS.

Alexey also worked for various hotel management companies within the hospitality industry across Europe, USA and Russia in operational departments including Rooms Division, Revenue Management and Food & Beverage.

Alexey obtained a BSc in Economics and Finance from the University of London, and holds an MBA in Hotel Management from César Ritz, Switzerland.

Henning Kreckel

Henning Kreckel is the Senior Development Manager for DACH at IHG^®, one of the world’s leading hotel companies. He is responsible for the development and growth of IHG’s brand portfolio across Germany.

Prakash Krishamurthy

Prakash Krishnamurthy is the Director Transactions & Asset Management for Europe at IHG®, one of the world’s leading hotel companies. He is responsible for the development and growth of IHG’s brand portfolio across Europe, with a focus on priority markets within the region.

Lauren Kroymann

Lauren works closely with hotel owners to expand the footprint of IHG’s Essentials & Suites Brands across Kansas City Metro, Kansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Lauren was a Business Development Manager for two years responsible for supporting the Essentials & Suites Brands covering the Midwest. Residing in Kansas City, Lauren enjoys reading, cooking, attending concerts and cheering on all Arizona sports teams.

Kyle Krumwiede

Kyle works closely with hotel owners to expand the footprint of IHG’s mainstream brands by identifying new business opportunities and developing client relationships in the state of Florida. Kyle has 10+ years of experience in the Hospitality sector including Operations, Real Estate Brokerage and Franchise Sales & Development, predominantly in the SE and Mid-Atlantic regions. His various roles and experience have helped sharpen his hotel/real estate development acumen, creating a unique perspective when analyzing new projects. Kyle is a graduate of the Trulaske College of Business at the University of Missouri where he studied Business Management and Hospitality Management. He and his family relocated from Nashville, TN to Sarasota, FL, in 2021. Together, they enjoy spending time outdoors fishing, hiking, golfing, traveling, and listening to live music.

Nishant Kumar

Nishant Kumar is the Director of Development for South West Asia at IHG®, responsible for the development and growth of IHG’s brand portfolio across the region.

Nishant has over 18 years of experience in Real Estate, Infrastructure and the hospitality industry. Since joining IHG in 2017, he has been instrumental in expanding IHG’s brand footprint across the South West Asia region. His key signings include the debut of the Staybridge Suites brand in Bengaluru, the ‘Silicon Valley of India’, InterContinental Bengaluru, and relaunching the InterContinental brand in Sri Lanka with the signing of InterContinental Colombo. He also led the signing of a four-hotel portfolio deal under Holiday Inn brand family, which uniquely positions IHG as the first international operator in the Buddhist Circuit of India.

Prior to IHG, Nishant was with Starwood Hotel & Resorts where he was a key member of its i100 plan to induce strong growth momentum for its brands in SWA region.. Before joining Starwood, Nishant was with DLF Limited, where he represented the ownership core team to form the DLF-Hilton joint venture in India, as well as the acquisition of Aman Resorts portfolio in 2007.

Nishant holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, majoring in Finance with a minor in Economics and received his PGDBA from IMT Ghaziabad.

Valentina Laborde

Valentina drives the promotion, prospecting, and sales of all IHG brands throughout Mexico. A 15-year veteran of IHG, she previously served as Direct Marketing Commercial Director for MegaDirect and Director Corporate/Founding Partner at Globacom. Valentina has a degree in Business Administration from the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico and has completed a graduate seminar on studies in tourism. Passionate about travel, walk, art, music, and culture, Valentina loves sharing experiences with her two sons, such as exploring museums, observing architecture, and tasting new foods. When at home, she enjoys hosting gatherings and cooking meals for her family.

Shi'ai Liang

Shi'ai Liang is the Senior Development Director for South East Asia & Korea at IHG^®, one of the world’s leading hotel companies. She is responsible for the expansion of IHG’s brand portfolio across South East Asia & Korea, particularly in Malaysia, Maldives and Cambodia.

Shi'ai joined IHG with over 14 years of experience in hotel development. Prior to IHG, she was Vice President, Head of Development APAC for Blueground, the world's leading flexible living operator. During her time with Blueground, she signed strategic partnership agreements for Blueground's entry into Japan and Thailand. Before Blueground, she held hotel development roles with Marriott International, Rosewood Hotel Group, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts and Pan Pacific Hotels Group.

Shi’ai holds a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture degree from the National University of Singapore and a Master of Management in Hospitality from Cornell University, with a concentration in real estate finance.