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 supervisa la cartera de lujo y estilo de vida y premium de IHG en las regiones del Medio Oeste. Desde que se unió a IHG 2022 como Director de Desarrollo de Six Senses, ha desempeñado un papel clave en impulsar el crecimiento de Upper Luxury y Branded Residential, apoyando la expansión del desarrollo de Six Senses, Regent y Branded Residences en todo el continente americano. Antes de incorporarse a IHG, Vijesh se desempeñó como vicepresidente de la práctica de asesoramiento en inversiones hoteleras en Hodges Ward Elliott, donde se especializó en asesorar sobre la venta de hoteles y complejos turísticos de nivel institucional, con un enfoque en el segmento de ultra lujo en América del Norte, América Latina y el Caribe. Anteriormente en su carrera, pasó dos años como analista en el equipo de Análisis de Inversiones en InterContinental Hotels Group, colaborando con desarrollo para preparar proformas y materiales de aprobación de capital que respaldaran nuevos acuerdos.

Maurizio Piedra

Maurizio is the Development Manager 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.

Fabrizio Piolanti

Fabrizio Piolanti is Director Development for Italy at IHG^®, one of the world’s leading hotel companies. He is responsible for the expansion of IHG’s brand portfolio in Italy.

Fabrizio boasts an extensive knowledge of the Italian market with over 15 years of experience in corporate roles, operations, and consulting. Prior to IHG, he was Development Director at Marriott International and has executed both limited and premium brands projects, in urban and resort destinations. He also gained experience in EY’s and JLL’s Hospitality teams in Milan, where he led multiple operator selection processes, valuations, feasibility studies and transaction assignments.

Fabrizio holds a master’s degree in Tourism economics from Bocconi University in Milan.

 

Marie Richard

Marie Richard es Directora de Desarrollo Cartera y Luxury COE para Cartera y Alianzas Estratégicas en Europa en IHG®, una de las compañías hoteleras líderes a nivel mundial. El rol paneuropeo de Marie es responsable de desarrollar todas las marcas de IHG en colaboración con los desarrolladores regionales de IHG para cualquier acuerdo de cartera y alianzas estratégicas, incluida la colaboración de desarrollo en varios países o acuerdos de lujo complejos.

Prior to IHG, Marie worked for Jin Jiang / Louvre Hotels Group for seven years where she had a progressive career from an International Development Analyst to Asset & Investment Manager and was most recently an M&A Manager, where she worked on several portfolio acquisitions for the group in Europe and Brazil. She was also in charge of International Operations for South America and India, in coordination with local operational offices.

Marie is an Honours graduate of HEC Paris Business School in France where she followed a Master in Management in Corporate Finance.

Samuel Richard

Samuel Richard es Gerente de Desarrollo de Negocios en IHG Hotels and Resorts, donde se enfoca en impulsar el crecimiento de la marca IHG en Estados Unidos y Canadá. Con más de una década de experiencia en IHG, anteriormente se desempeñó como Consultor de Calidad y Director Regional de Franquicia Openings.

Sam, un colaborador clave en el lanzamiento de Garner Hotels, jugó un papel decisivo en la exitosa apertura de la primera propiedad en Auburn, WA, en diciembre de 2023. Se destaca en la gestión de proyectos, estrategias de crecimiento y en la construcción de relaciones sólidas con los propietarios del hotel.

Antes de unirse a IHG, Sam trabajó como consultor de calidad en LRA/Deloitte y ocupó varios puestos operativos en Fairmont, Westin y W Hotels. 

Sam tiene un Diploma en Gestión Hotelera del Institut de Tourisme et d'hôtellerie du Québec y una Licenciatura en Administración de Empresas con especialización en Turismo y Gestión Hotelera de la Université du Québec à Montréal.

Sam reside en Cochrane, cerca de Calgary en Alberta, Canadá. En su tiempo libre, a Sam le gusta hacer senderismo y esquí de fondo en las Montañas Rocosas canadienses, además de cocinar, hacer jardinería y viajar.