Miguel Martins

Miguel Martins is the Head of Development for Northern Europe at IHG®, one of the world’s leading hotel companies. He is responsible for leading and developing IHG’s brand portfolio across Northern Europe, covering 17 countries, and identifying new business opportunities.

Miguel and his team work collaboratively with development partners to deliver value for both franchised and managed hotels across luxury, upscale and mainstream brands. In his tenure with IHG, he has since signed over 40 new deals across the Northern Europe region.

With extensive international experience in hotel development and hotel operations, he has been involved in over 20 projects in Europe, including Portugal, Spain and Poland. Prior to joining IHG in 2015, Miguel co-founded Polish Hotel Company, a strategic growth Partner, responsible for the roll out of some of IHG’s most well-known brands in Poland, such as Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Hotel Indigo and Crowne Plaza.

Miguel also worked as a Senior Consultant at an international hotel & asset management company based in Portugal where he was involved on various projects under local and international brands and experienced several functions in hotel operations.

Elena McGarry

Elena McGarry is the Development Manager for DACH at IHG®, one of the world’s leading hotel companies. She is responsible for the development and growth of IHG’s brand portfolio across the DACH region, particularly in Germany and Austria.

Alex Moeckel

Alex Moeckel is Vice President of Development for IHG Hotels & Resorts responsible for the growth of Luxury, Lifestyle, and Premium brands in the East region as well as the Midwest US and Eastern Canada. Well-versed in IHG’s brands portfolio, Alex was most recently Vice President of Development for the Mid-Atlantic region and prior to that,  Director of Development where he was responsible for development growth of IHG’s selective service and extended stay portfolio. Mr. Moeckel first joined IHG 13-years ago as a Development Manager for North America and Latin America, based out of the Atlanta office. Prior to IHG, Alex was in New York City where he advanced through positions of increasing responsibility with Small Luxury Hotels of the World, Eastdil Secured, and Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts. Alex graduated from the University of Delaware School of Hospitality Management and currently serves on the Advisory Board of the University of Delaware Hospitality & Sport Business Management School. In addition to spending time with his wife and two children, Alex loves the thrill of traveling, enjoying new food, golfing, skiing, and surfing. Mr. Moeckel serves on the Board of Directors of FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education), the nation’s leading food allergy nonprofit and largest private funder of food allergy research, education, and advocacy.

Mudassir Naqib

Mudassir Naqib is the Development Director for South West Asia at IHG®, one of the world’s leading hotel companies. He is responsible for the development and growth of IHG’s brand portfolio across the region.

Ram Narayanan

Ram Narayanan is the Senior Development Manager for Indonesia at IHG®, one of the world’s leading hotel companies. He is responsible for the expansion of IHG’s brand portfolio across Indonesia.

Ram brings over 14 years of real estate and project experience across Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. Prior to IHG, he was with Pomeroy Studio in Singapore as property & real estate associate. Prior to that, he was Head of Business Development and International Sales at Sinar Mas Land in Indonesia, where he specialised in negotiations for international joint ventures and managed property development cycles, with some exposure to hotel resort planning and management contracts.

His past experience also includes roles in the proptech sector with Cloud Kitchens, management consulting with Deloitte, and with the Malaysian Government as a public transport regulator. 

Ram holds an Honours degree in Economics from the University of Durham and has lived and worked across 5 countries.

Elliot Newton

Elliot Newton is the Development Director for UK & Ireland at IHG®, one of the world’s leading hotel companies. He is responsible for growing IHG's development opportunities encompassing luxury, upscale and mainstream opportunities through managed and franchised deal structures in one of IHG’s key global markets.

Prior to joining IHG, he was most recently Development Director for Louvre Hotels Group, where he established the development & asset management strategy for the Group in the UK & Ireland.

Born and raised in Teesside, Elliot studied at Newcastle University before working in a broad spectrum of roles across the hospitality sector. He began his career at Holiday Inn Scotch Corner, with Cairn Hotel Group, before progressing into various corporate office roles at IHG Hotels & Resorts and Hilton.

James Oh

James Oh is Development Director for South East Asia & Korea at IHG®, one of the world’s leading hotel companies. Based in Seoul, James is responsible for the strategic growth of IHG brands in Korea. 

James brings 14 years of experience in real estate and hospitality industry, in various roles in some of the largest real estate asset management firms in Korea, from investments to ownership and asset management of hotels. With his knowledge and experience in hotel ownership companies, James has a strong understanding of the needs of hotel owners and is well versed to provide creative investment structures to drive successful outcomes.

Prior to joining IHG, he was Investment Director for Aju Hotels & Resorts, where he successfully led an acquisition of four hotels in the U.S. with diversified structures. Prior to Aju, James was the Head of Hotel Investment at Mirae Asset Global Investments where he led multi-billion dollar hotel investment deals and handled the firm's hotel group strategies. Before joining Mirae, he was with IGIS AMC where he spearheaded outbound commercial real estate investments.

James also held various roles in hotel brokerage and consultancy. He was previously the Country Representative for Hodges Ward Elliott, where he led the firm’s brokerage business development in Asia, and provided tailored solutions for investors hotel acquisitions.

James holds a Bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management from New York University and is a registered fund manager in the Republic of Korea.

Vijesh Patel

Vijesh Patel oversees IHG’s Luxury, Lifestyle, and Premium portfolio across the Midwest region. Since joining IHG in 2022 as Director of Development for Six Senses, he has played a key role in driving growth across Upper Luxury and Branded Residential, supporting pipeline expansion for Six Senses, Regent, and Branded Residences throughout the Americas. Prior to IHG, Vijesh served as Vice President in the Hospitality Investment Advisory practice at Hodges Ward Elliott, where he specialized in advising on the sale of institutional-grade hotels and resorts, with a focus on the ultra-luxury segment across North America, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Earlier in his career, he spent two years as an analyst on the Investment Analysis team at InterContinental Hotel Group, partnering with Development to prepare pro formas and capital approval materials supporting new deals.

Maurizio Piedra

Maurizio is the Development Director for the Caribbean and Latin America, responsible for executing the growth strategy of all brands across this region. He started his career in hotel investment sales and later transitioned into an asset management role, responsible for a portfolio of 11 hotels across the United States with all major hotel brands. In his previous roles, he successfully developed the real estate growth strategy for other international brands, like Sonder and Hilton, in Florida and the Caribbean. Maurizio is originally from Peru and is an economist by profession. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his friends, discovering the culinary scene of the places he visits, and going for morning runs.