Cooper Gantt

Cooper is responsible for expediting the growth of IHG’s mainstream brands across the Midwest region of the United States. Advancing within IHG, Cooper’s previous experience includes the role of Business Development Manager where she strove to expand existing franchisee portfolios and identify opportunity markets for future development. Prior to that, she also excelled in various positions as part of IHG's Global Sales Organization. Cooper holds a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management with a minor in Business Administration from Auburn University. In her free time, she enjoys chanting “War Eagle” in support of her beloved Auburn Tigers football team.

Willemijn Geels

Willemijn Geels is Vice President of Development for Europe region at IHG®, one of the world’s leading hotel companies. She is responsible for driving the expansion of IHG's portfolio of brands across Europe, encompassing luxury, upscale and mainstream opportunities through managed and franchised deal structures. In addition to identifying new growth opportunities, Willemijn and her team work closely with owners and investors in a support and advisory capacity to drive long-term revenue.

Prior to joining IHG in 2015, Willemijn was Development & Acquisitions Director at Louvre Hotels Group where she delivered strong returns for European owners. She also gained experience in Deloitte's Transport, Hospitality and Leisure team in Paris, where she led multiple hotel valuations, feasibility studies, and transaction and strategic advisory assignments.

Willemijn graduated from IMHI-ESSEC business school with an MBA degree in International Hospitality Management specialising in Real Estate.

Normann Hauck

Normann Hauck è Direttore regionale dello sviluppo per Louisiana, Missouri, Arkansas e Tennessee. Prima di entrare a far parte del team di sviluppo, Normann ha lavorato per tre anni in IHG in qualità di Feasibility Manager in Investment Analysis. Normann vanta oltre 14 anni di esperienza nel settore alberghiero internazionale, collaborando con alcuni dei marchi alberghieri più famosi del settore nel Regno Unito e negli Stati Uniti. Mentre lavorava nel Regno Unito, Normann ha ricoperto il ruolo di Director of Operations per un hotel indipendente dove ha gestito le operazioni quotidiane. Dopo aver vissuto in Europa per 9 anni, Normann ricavi negli Stati Uniti assumendo il ruolo di Analista. Altre città in cui Normann ha lavorato sono Atlanta, Chicago, Washington, DC, Glasgow, Birmingham e Londra. Attualmente risiede ad Atlanta, in Georgia , dove oltre al suo ruolo di sviluppo, insegna presso la Georgia State University nel programma Masters of Global Hospitality Management.

Pathana Jitsaereetham

Pathana Jitsaereetham è Direttore sviluppo, Thailandia per il Sud-est asiatico e la Corea presso IHG^®, una delle aziende alberghiere leader a livello mondiale. Pathana è responsabile della crescita strategica del portafoglio di IHG in Thailandia.

Prior to joining IHG, Pathana was Development Manager at Asset World Corp (AWC) and Central Pattana (CPN), leading real estate and hotel developers in Thailand. He was also previously Development & Asset Management Manager at Nova Asset Management, a hotel consulting firm based in Thailand.

Pathana holds an MBA from University of Strathclyde, UK and a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand.

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.

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.