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 KHI employs a team of talented professionals - each with a strong degree of integrity. Each senior member candidate is required to undertake a collective process of recruitment. Their skill sets are as important as their attitude, a cornerstone of KHI's corporate culture. KHI adopts a collective approach to key decision making and the formulation of procedures and strategies. Members of the management team meet on a regular basis to share information on activities and collectively participate in key decisions relating to the implementation of KHI's strategy. The senior members of KHI's management team are as follows: Gordon Drake - Chief Financial Officer › Samer Abu Ayash - Head of Design & Construction › Joel Russo - Head of Asset Management › Shazmah Hakim - General Counsel, Corporate Secretary ›   Mr. Drake has served as a Board Director and Chief Financial Officer for Kingdom Hotel Investments (KHI) since 1 April 2009. Mr. Drake joined the Company in July 2007 as Vice President and Group Treasurer in which he secured financing in excess of $300 million in six separate transactions, and then as Finance Director with wider Financial Reporting and Control responsibilities. Latterly Mr. Drake has led KHI’s M&A activities. Prior to KHI, Mr. Drake was Group Treasurer and Corporate Finance Manager at Rocco Forte Hotels, with responsibility for capital raising, risk management as well as asset disposals. He has also worked in the Treasury departments of Pearson plc and Hammerson plc with multinational capital markets and operational responsibilities. Mr. Drake started his career with Ernst & Young in London and is a qualified Chartered Accountant with the Institute of Chartered Accountants for England and Wales. Mr. Drake holds a B.Sc. Hons in Economics and Accounting from University of Bristol and an AMCT professional qualification with the Association of Corporate Treasurers. He is a British citizen. Return to top ›  Samer Abu Ayash was appointed Head of Design & Construction in July 2008. He joined the Company in 1998, as an Owner Representative for the Four Seasons Hotel development in Beirut. In 2002, he became Vice President Design & Construction with responsibilities for KHI’s hotel development projects in Lebanon as well as other design & construction activities relating to KHI’s Four Seasons, Fairmont and Mövenpick properties. A member of the Association of Engineers in Lebanon, Mr. Abu Ayash has a wealth of experience in construction and design. Prior to joining KHI, he was Project Manager / Owner Representative for Société Immobilière Les Dunes in charge of the Holiday Inn Dunes Multi Complex development in Beirut. Previously, Mr. Abu Ayash worked at Metito International in London − a leading environmental engineering firm − covering Middle East and Africa markets. Prior to that, he worked in various design and construction roles in the UK at the Engineering Division of Thames Water Utilities Ltd. (including the London Water Ring Main Project), Howard Humphreys & Partners Consulting Engineers and Freeman Fox & Partners Consulting Engineers. Mr. Abu Ayash holds a Master of Science / DIC degree in Civil & Environmental Engineering from the Imperial College in London and graduated from the American University of Beirut with a Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering. He has dual Lebanese and British citizenship. He is fluent in English and Arabic and has a working knowledge of French. Return to top ›  Joel Russo was appointed Head of Asset Management in September 2008. He joined the Company in 2006, as a Vice President of Asset Management for the MENA region. His 18 years experience in the hospitality industry spans operations, consulting, valuation, development, design & construction and asset management. Mr. Russo started his career at InterContinental Hotels Group in operations. Subsequently, he joined HVS where he performed hotel feasibility/market studies, property valuations and advisory services throughout Europe and the Middle East. He later joined HEI Hotels as Executive Vice President responsible for development, finance and hotel operations. Mr. Russo holds a Bachelor Degree in Hotel Management from the University of Surrey and has pursued post-graduate studies in Property Valuation & Law at the Cass Business School in London. He is a New Zealand citizen. Return to top ›  Shazmah Hakim was appointed General Counsel and Corporate Secretary on 1 April 2009. She joined the Company in April 2007 as a Vice President of Legal Affairs. Mrs. Hakim has over 11 years of legal experience. She was, prior to joining KHI, a Vice President and Senior Counsel at Marriott International with responsibility for the legal operations of Marriott’s hotels in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Middle East and Africa. In addition, Mrs. Hakim worked as a project finance associate at the Washington D.C. office of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe. Ms. Hakim holds a Juris Doctor from George Washington University and a Masters in International Business and Politics from New York University. Return to top › Copyright © Kingdom Hotel Investments |
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