PEOPLE update March 10, 2020

Anatoly Kondratenko has been appointed vice-president development, residential and extended stay at Accor effective February 3, 2020. In his role, Kondratenko will be responsible for developing mixed use projects, branded residences and extended stay properties for North and Central America, while also supporting (with SVP development) branded residential development activity within South America. Kondratenko has over 25 years of hotel management and development experience. His hospitality career began in 1993 when he joined Hotel Aerostar Moscow (a Canadian managed hotel in Moscow) as the director of finance. In 2000, he joined the Hyatt Hotels Corporation as the regional director of finance where he oversaw the finance departments in Russia, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. Seeking new opportunities, he left Hyatt in 2007 to join Starwood Hotels & Resorts in Brussels, Belgium as senior director, Acquisitions and Development, Europe. In 2017, Anatoly moved into the consulting role where he assisted owners with hotel and mixed use projects.

Duncan Chiu has joined Marriott International as Duncan Chiu has joined Marriott International as director, lodging development, Western Canada, Marriott Select Brands, based in Vancouver. Chiu comes to Marriott from Coast Hotels, where he worked for almost four years. At Coast, he was director, development, and also transitional manager, brand engagement, for the first year and half of his tenure. He has also worked as associate, consulting and valuation, at HVS; and has held roles at Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts, Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, Coast Hotels and Marriott Hotels.

Greg Fleming has been appointed general manager, Alt St. John’s, N.L., coming to this new position from Ramada St. John’s, where he was general manager for more than 11 years. Fleming has been very active in the community, serving as president of Skål St. John’s for the past seven years He has been on the board of directors of Destination St. John’s for eight years, serving as chair from 2017-2019. He has also served as president of the Hotel & Motel Association of Newfoundland/Labrador and on the boards of directors for Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador (HNL) and HAC. Other positions include general manager of Quality Airport Hotel and Conference Centre in Calgary, and director of hotel operations at City Hotels Ltd. Fleming hails from Calgary, where he worked for eight years at Westin Calgary in various capacities. He has lived in St. John’s for 15 years.

Donnalu Sabo, CPA, CA, has joined the Hotel Association of Canada as director of finance. Prior to joining HAC, Sabo was director of finance at Digital Opportunity Trust for almost five years. Before that, she was a director in charge of audits for the Office of the Auditor General of Canada for four and a half years. She also worked at KPMG Canada for 10 years, focusing on the not-for-profit and charity sector, and as senior accountant at McKay Duff LLP for three and a half years.

After 35 years of public service and 16 years at the helm of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), Jean Major will be retiring from his roles as registrar and chief executive officer by the end of August 2020. Since 2004, Major has been leading the AGCO on a deliberate modernization journey that has benefitted every sector regulated by this organization. Under Major’s leadership, the AGCO moved from a “one-size-fits-all” approach, in which all had to follow the same set of rigid rules, to a model where stricter conditions are only applied to areas of higher risk and where licensees have flexibility to choose how they will meet their regulatory obligations.

go2HR — BC’s tourism human resource association — is pleased to announce the appointment of Krista Bax to the role of CEO. Bax is poised to lead go2HR on an exciting new path forward after the organization underwent significant changes last year. Bax has more than 20 years of experience in various strategic leadership roles. Prior to joining go2HR, she was the senior vice-president, Western Canada at Context, a strategic engagement and communications firm. From 2009-2017, Bax held senior positions at the Asia Pacific Gateway Skills Table, and was promoted to executive director in 2014. She also has extensive experience in occupational health and safety, primarily in the forestry industry. Bax holds an MBA and B.Sc. from the University of Alberta, and has completed the Not-for-Profit Program developed by the Institute of Corporate Directors and the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management.

Lester Almeida, director, revenue management, Canada, at IHG is pleased to announce the appointments of Sabrina Green and Christie Neate as regional directors, revenue services effective 18th February 2020. They will oversee and manage the Revenue Management for Hire service model for franchise hotels with in the Canadian region.

Green has been part of the IHG family for the last eight years as a portfolio revenue manager, revenue services Canada. She has over 20 years of experience in the hospitality Industry and has specialized in revenue management for 13+ years. Prior to IHG, Green has worked with Choice Hotels in multiple capacities before moving to Windsor Casino where she supervised staffing and operations of the Reservations Call Centre, VIP Services, and PBX Call Centre. She has held a variety of management roles at a full-service IHG Franchise property from front office, e-commerce manager, controller, and finally reservations and revenue manager. She is based in Cottam, Ont.

Neate has been part of the IHG family for the last two years; and has over 13 years of experience with IHG properties in various roles. Her initiation with IHG began in 2006 when she joined the Crowne Plaza Downtown Moncton team as their guest services manager. She came to IHG from D.P. Murphy Hotels & Resorts group, where she was director of revenue in 2009 and was promoted to vice-president of operations in 2015. At D.P. Murphy, she was responsible for the operational performance of the company’s 11 multi-brand portfolio of hotels and resorts across the Atlantic Region. Prior to that, Neate began her career by working for her family’s two hotel businesses in her hometown of Baddeck, Cape Breton.

Jonathan Lund, regional vice-president Hotel Operations, Canada, has announced the appointment of Abdul Melhem as franchise performance support manager –Western Canada effective February 24. Abdul joined IHG in 2016 as a director of sales & marketing for the Holiday Inn Conference Centre Edmonton South and was subsequently appointed to the role of general manager. During this time, he successfully transitioned the hotel to a market leader and top performer across all KPIs. Prior to joining IHG, Melhem was with Marriott Hotels & Resorts in both EAME and Canada. His brand experience includes Sheraton, Four Points, Delta, Luxury Collection and W Hotels.

Sean Brevick, vice president, field marketing, Global Marketing Shared Service, has announced the appointment of Girish Giovanni as field marketing manager effective Feb. 24. Giovanni brings 11 years of consumer marketing experience with award-winning campaigns in various industries and geographies. His passion for understanding the consumer started early in his career with Procter & Gamble. He managed destination marketing campaigns for YAS Island, a destination in the UAE. Born in Singapore, Giovanni has a Masters of Business Administration from both the University of California Los Angeles and the National University of Singapore.

Shanna Munro, president and CEO of Restaurants Canada, is pleased to announce that Guy Laframboise, president of Les Restaurants Subway Québec Ltée, has been named as the new chair of the board of directors for 2020-2021. Laframboise was elected last week at Restaurants Canada’s annual general meeting. Laframboise has held his current position since 1990. Under Laframboise’s leadership, the popular quick-service chain has grown from one location in 1990 to 600 outlets across Quebec in 2020. He has held numerous board positions over the past 30 years with a track record of excellence. His foray into the foodservice industry started in 1990, when he moved from Ottawa to Montreal and began operating Quebec’s only Subway restaurant.

The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort has announced Kathleen Bernesby as director of sales for the entire complex. She will lead the sales team in conjunction with the director of sales & marketing for the 2,270-room resort with 333,000 square feet of meeting space, including the resort’s upcoming expansion, The Cove at the Walt Disney World Swan, a 349-room, 14-story tower scheduled to open in 2021. Bernesby returns to the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin after previously working at the resort from 1998 – 2008. She has over 30 years of experience in hospitality sales and marketing, with companies including Earl Enterprises, Westin Diplomat Resort and Loews Miami Beach.

Tim Lilleyman has joined AMK Global Recruiting and Immigration services as a consultant. He has enjoyed a storied career in hospitality food and beverage operations, notably with the Royal Winter Fair, the Toronto Congress Centre and the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and many prominent hotel properties. In response to the labour crisis facing our industry in Canada, Lilleyman will be working with AMK Global answering the need for qualified line cooks, pastry chefs, housekeepers, bakers and butchers. This labour immigration program is sanctioned by the federal government and guarantees to provide to hotel restaurants and hospitality venues qualified staff to enter Canada on a closed work permit for two years. AMK is a new member of ORHMA and Lilleyman will be overseeing the program for all ORHMA members.

Trevor St. Louis has joined Accor as consultant, finance and technology services. He came to Accor from Hockley Valley Resort and Adamo Estates Winery, where he was financial controller. Before that he held positions in finance with Imago Restaurants, Great Circle Solar Management Corp., FRHI Hotels & Resorts, Delta Hotels & Resorts and Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts.