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By Nithyakala Neelakandan
Published on May 25, 2024
Kempinski Hotels, Europe's oldest luxury hotel group, is excited to announce the appointment of Barbara Muckermann as their new Chief Executive Officer. With an impressive background in the luxury travel industry, Muckermann brings over 25 years of experience to this prestigious role. She previously led Silversea Cruises, part of Royal Caribbean Group, which is renowned as the world's largest ultra-luxury and expedition cruise line.
Muckermann joins Kempinski at a pivotal time. The iconic hospitality brand, with its 127-year tradition of excellence, is preparing for significant global expansion. Currently operating 82 hotels in 36 countries, Kempinski aims to add 34 more properties to its portfolio in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa over the next few years. This strategic growth is intended to further cement Kempinski's reputation for providing unparalleled luxury and exceptional service.
René Nijhof, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Kempinski Hotels S.A., expressed his confidence in Muckermann's leadership. "Barbara has always been at the forefront of luxury. Her proven ability to elevate the guest experience while maximizing profitability for leading travel brands made her the ideal choice to lead Kempinski Hotels. Her dynamic, forward-thinking approach will be vital as we continue to usher in a new era of luxury for our brand."
Muckermann is the first woman to lead Kempinski Hotels in its 127-year history. She expressed her excitement about joining the company, stating, "I could not be more thrilled to be joining Kempinski Hotels as CEO during such a pivotal time for the brand. I am delighted to play an integral role in this incredibly iconic brand’s next chapter while honoring its rich history. I look forward to working with amazing colleagues globally to continue to make the Kempinski name synonymous with individual luxury."
Throughout her career, Muckermann has significantly enhanced sales and profitability while upgrading customer experiences for global luxury brands such as Loro Piana, MSC Cruises, and NCL. Her extensive international experience, having lived in Italy, France, and the USA, and her proficiency in five languages, underscore her global perspective and capability. Additionally, she holds a Doctorate in Political Sciences and Economics and an MBA from both Columbia and London Business School.
Kempinski Hotels is known for its unique and legendary properties, each reflecting the cultural traditions of their locations while maintaining the high standards expected of the brand. As the company looks forward to expanding its presence, Muckermann's leadership is expected to guide Kempinski through this exciting phase, reinforcing its position as a leader in luxury hospitality.
With this new appointment, Kempinski Hotels continues to build on its rich heritage, combining tradition with innovation to offer the finest experiences in the world of luxury hospitality.
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By Hariharan U
Published on August 21, 2026
Summit Hotels & Resorts has appointed Sudhir Gupta as Corporate General Manager – Finance, strengthening its leadership team as the hospitality company continues to expand its portfolio across India.
Gupta brings more than 15 years of experience in hospitality finance and financial operations. His expertise includes financial planning and analysis, budgeting, management reporting, taxation, cost controls, hotel pre-openings, and finance systems.
In his new role, Gupta will oversee the finance function across Summit Hotels & Resorts. His focus will be on strengthening financial controls, improving reporting systems, and supporting the company's growth and expansion plans.
Before joining Summit Hotels & Resorts, Gupta served as Cluster Financial Controller for Marriott Surat and Courtyard by Marriott Surat, where he handled finance operations for both hotels. His responsibilities included budgeting, business reviews, financial reporting, revenue recognition, taxation, cost and inventory accounting, vendor negotiations, and financial controls.
Over the course of his career, Gupta has also held finance leadership and operational roles at Southern Hotels Pvt. Ltd., 1589 Hotels Pvt. Ltd. (Clarks Collection), JHM Interstate Hotels, Crowne Plaza and The Oberoi Group. This has given him experience across both corporate and property-level hotel finance.
His experience also covers hotel pre-openings, accounting and operating system implementation, performance analysis, and the development of financial processes across multi-property portfolios.
Commenting on the appointment, Mr. Sumit Periwal, Director, Summit Hotels & Resorts, said, "As Summit enters its next phase of growth, building stronger corporate systems behind our expanding portfolio is an important priority. Sudhir brings a valuable combination of hotel-level financial understanding and multi-property corporate experience. His exposure to budgeting, controls, systems and pre-openings will be particularly relevant as we strengthen our financial framework and scale the business across new markets."
The appointment is part of Summit Hotels & Resorts' ongoing efforts to strengthen its corporate leadership and build scalable systems to support its growing hospitality portfolio.
Website: Summit Hotels & Resorts
Aureya FM, formerly WTC Trades & Projects and Brigade Group's facilities management arm, has appointed Vivek Kalia as Chief Operating Officer.
Aureya FM provides integrated, technology-enabled facility management services across sectors including commercial, retail, co-working spaces, and community projects. In his new role, Vivek will oversee the company's operations, business growth, customer experience, and organisational effectiveness.
Welcoming the appointment, Vineet Verma, Managing Director, Aureya FM, said, "Vivek's unique blend of military and corporate leadership, along with his vast experience will be crucial in the role of COO to further strengthen our organisation. His disciplined approach, strategic thinking and strong focus on execution will bring valuable perspective as we continue to build on our foundations and pursue new opportunities for growth. We are confident that Vivek's leadership will help us navigate the evolving business landscape, strengthen our operational capabilities, and foster a culture of excellence and innovation."
Vivek brings over 21 years of experience from his career as a retired Indian Naval Officer, where he held various command and staff appointments. His time in the Navy helped him build expertise in leadership, strategic decision-making, and managing teams in complex environments.
After his naval career, Vivek spent seven years with Airbus, where he established and expanded the company's training business across India and South Asia. He later moved to Airbus Defense and Space, where he led strategic defence sales campaigns and worked with customers to address key business and operational requirements.
Speaking about his appointment, Vivek Kalia, COO, Aureya FM, said, "I am honoured and humbled by the opportunity and look forward to working closely with the team. My experience has taught me the importance of discipline, teamwork, resilience and a clear focus on execution. This is an exciting prospect, and I am committed to unlocking new possibilities, strengthening our capabilities and creating sustainable growth."
With Vivek joining as COO, Aureya FM aims to further strengthen its operations and build on its existing capabilities while exploring new opportunities in the evolving facilities management sector
Hyatt Regency Dehradun Resort And Spa has appointed Vineet Waldia as Area Director of Digital Marketing, bringing more than 16 years of marketing experience across hospitality, technology, healthcare, e-commerce, and SaaS.
In his new role, Waldia will lead digital marketing efforts across Hyatt's North India cluster portfolio. His responsibilities will cover rooms, MICE and events, food and beverage, spa, and other revenue-generating channels. A key focus will be on growing direct bookings through Hyatt.com, improving digital channel performance, and supporting business growth across customer touchpoints.
Waldia joins Hyatt after serving as General Manager – Marketing at Acefone Software Pvt. Ltd., where he handled marketing and demand generation across domestic and international markets. Before this, he worked as Associate Director – Marketing at Knowlarity Communications, a Gupshup company, where he helped shape the company's marketing function and led go-to-market plans across Africa, APAC, LATAM, and AUKUS markets.
His career also includes leadership roles at Agilus Diagnostics, Headhonchos, and IDS Logic. He has also worked with Hyatt Hotels Corporation earlier in his career as Manager – Digital Marketing & E-commerce. During that stint, he supported room revenue growth across ten hotels through digital marketing campaigns and also worked on the digital planning and launch of new hotels and restaurants.
Waldia's experience covers performance marketing, SEO and SEM, customer acquisition, MarTech, CRM, AI-enabled marketing, and multi-channel campaigns. His work has focused on using technology, data, and customer insights to improve audience engagement and business performance.
His work in digital commerce was also recognised when he was named among the Top 50 Most Influential E-commerce Professionals of India by CMOAsia.org in 2016 and 2017.
Speaking on his appointment, Vineet Waldia, remarked, "Returning to Hyatt is both professionally meaningful and personally rewarding. The hospitality industry is evolving rapidly, creating new opportunities to combine technology, data, and creativity to deliver more impactful guest experiences. I look forward to working closely with teams across North India to advance Hyatt's digital growth journey."
With Waldia taking on the new role, Hyatt Regency Dehradun Resort And Spa aims to strengthen its digital marketing focus while combining technology and customer-focused strategies to support Hyatt's continued growth across North India
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