INTERNATIONAL REPORT—Radisson has added to executives to bolster its expansion in Africa, while Enchantment Group appoints a VP and Oyo expands it board. Here’s a look:
Radisson Hotel Group Appoints Two for Expansion in Africa
Radisson Hotel Group has appointed Ramsay Rankoussi as the new head of development for Africa and Daniel Trappler, senior director, development for Sub-Sahara, as the group continues to increase its presence and renews its commitment to Africa.
Radisson Hotel Group is one of the largest hotel groups in Africa with almost 100 hotels in operation and under development, and with the ambition to grow its presence across the continent to more than 150 hotels by 2025.
Based in Dubai, Rankoussi has been with the company for more than six years and now leads its growth in Africa.
Trappler is one of the few specialists in hotel transactions and capital markets, dedicated to Africa, according to the company.
The company’s development and growth strategy in Africa follows a twofold approach. The first part concentrates on focus countries while the second centers around creating key hubs. By creating a mass city scale development strategy with a focus on key countries and surrounding markets including Morocco, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa, the group’s ‘hub approach’ ensures synergy among neighboring countries and creates further value for its hotels, in terms of both development and operations, according to the company. Each member of Radisson Hotel Group’s development team is a leader in this approach because of their geographical proximity as well as their local cultural knowledge and linguistic understanding of each focus market.
The targeted territories where the group is focused on growing its presence include the Maghreb; West Africa with Senegal and Ivory Coast; Central Africa with Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo; East Africa with Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania; and finally, specific countries within the Southern African Development Community such as Angola, Mauritius, Mozambique and Zambia.
Enchantment Group Adds HR VP
Management company Enchantment Group has appointed Evan Vargas as VP of human resources.
In this role, Vargas plans, develops, coordinates and implements all human resources policies at the company and provides guidance to leaders at the firm’s four experiential destination resorts, Enchantment Resort, Mii amo, the Tides Inn and The Cove, Eleuthera. He also oversees all human resources operations including employment, wage and salary administration, training and development, team member health and safety, benefit programs, team member service and community relations.
He was most recently managing director of human resources at The Little Nell Hotel Group, a privately held hospitality management company in Aspen, CO. He also spent eight years with Marriott International in various human resources capacities, including as a multi-property director for San Diego Marriott Del Mar, La Jolla Marriott, Monterey Marriott, JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa, and JW Marriott Camelback Inn.
Oyo Appoints Albrecht to its Board
Oyo Hotels & Homes has appointed of Dr. W. Steve Albrecht as non-executive director on the company’s board of directors.
As a non-executive director of the board, Albrecht plays a supervisory role and guides the founder and the management on key business decisions. He is a former president of the American Accounting Association and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. As a professor, he taught full-time at the University of Illinois, Stanford and Brigham Young University. He is also a certified public accountant, certified internal auditor and certified fraud examiner. He has consulted with numerous organizations, including major financial institutions, the United Nations, FBI, and other organizations, and has been an expert witness in more than 38 major fraud cases.
