With new hires, First Group Hospitality bolsters its leadership team.
A number of senior leadership positions have been announced by First Group Hospitality; all of these positions were developed specifically to support the company’s rapidly increasing operational scale and growth trajectory. Given the robust growth potential of the company’s food and beverage (F&B) portfolio, Brendan McCormack assumes the position of Vice President Business Development, F&B. McCormack joined The First Group Hospitality’s leadership team in 2020 as Vice President of Operations, F&B and most recently as Vice President of Marketing. His experience in business growth and operations will create new chances for proprietary brands to grow through franchising. The F&B portfolio of First Group Hospitality includes a variety of concepts, such as The Blacksmith Bar & Eatery and Risen Café & Artisanal Bakery. In her new role as Senior Vice President of Marketing, Robyn James-O’Connor will be in charge of development, social, digital, public relations, advertising and brand marketing. She previously developed a 20 year career with Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts, eventually becoming the group’s Vice President of Marketing after starting as the Marketing Communications Manager at Burj Al Arab in 2005. She oversaw B2B and B2C marketing initiatives that improved brand awareness and business results throughout Jumeirah’s international portfolio during her time there. James-O’Connor contributes a wealth of brand and integrated performance marketing knowledge to the upscale hospitality industry.
As Vice President Commercial, Antonio Bissoni is in charge of distribution, guest engagement centres, revenue management and commercial strategy. Bissoni will concentrate on increasing profitability through sophisticated analytics, optimised market segment and distribution channel management and data driven pricing and revenue management techniques. After a 15 year worldwide career with Hilton, he most recently held the position of Regional Senior Director of Sales & Distribution at Marriott International before joining The First Group Hospitality.
As Vice President of Sales, Sohail Pedari is responsible for overseeing the performance and operations of the whole sales team. In addition to his previous position as Head of Commercial & Cultural Affairs at the Italian Consulate General in Dubai, he has senior commercial leadership expertise with international hospitality brands such as Hilton, Marriott International and Rocco Forte Hotels. The First Group Hospitality’s partnership led growth strategy will benefit from his ability to function well in complicated, multi-stakeholder contexts. With more than 20 years of expertise overseeing wellness operations, concept development and brand building for well known locations like Madinat Jumeirah, Atlantis The Palm and Atlantis The Royal, Maria Kuzeva joins as Corporate Director of Wellness & Spa. With a responsibility to promote a unified wellness vision throughout its increasing portfolio of hotels, her hiring highlights the growing significance of wellness within The First Group Hospitality’s strategy.
“We are delighted to welcome these talented leaders into their new roles,” stated Apo Demirtas, Chief Strategy Officer of The First Group Hospitality, in reference to the new hires. These positions reinforce our strengths in commercial, marketing, F&B and wellness. The appointments coincide with a period of notable expansion for The First Group Hospitality, which has seen the opening of historic projects like Ciel Dubai Marina, the world’s tallest hotel, Vignette Collection by IHG, franchise agreements with Marriott International and IHG, and the company’s entry into Europe with Gennadi Seaside Resort.
