Leadership Changes at Steigenberger and Ovolo; new EMEA COO at Kempinski
Above: Dave Baswal (right) takes over as CEO of Ovolo Hotels, freeing founder and executive chairman Girish Jhunjhnuwala (left) to seek expansion opportunities across Asia-Pacific, Europe and the US. Right: Oliver Bonke is the new CEO of Steigenberger Hotels, a brand under Deutsche Hospitality, which is owned by China’s Huazhu Group
7 April 2022
Oliver Bonke is the new CEO of Steigenberger Hotels, a brand under Deutsche Hospitality, which is owned by China’s Huazhu Group.
Bonke has more than 30 years of experience, a good part of it in Asia where, in his early career days, he was senior vice president of sales & marketing Asia-Pacific for Starwood Hotels & Resorts.
He was also Shangri-La Group’s CEO for Middle East, Europe, India and Americas, based in New York, and its president & COO, based in Hong Kong. Other stints included as chief commercial officer of luxury chain Loews Hotels and of IHG in North and South America.
Bonke replaces Marcus Bernhardt, who joined Steigenberger Hotels as CEO in November 2020.
At the same time, Deutsche Hospitality announced that Wilhelm Bender has replaced André Witschi as chairman of Steigenberger Hotels supervisory board. Bender served as chairman of the executive board of Fraport for 17 years.
The company is seeking a “transformation” with the fresh leadership.
Jihong He, CEO international business of Huazhu Group, said Bender’s “experience in managing complex transformation processes will be essential as we take off again after a challenging period in the market.”
Of Bonke, he counts on his “proven ability to build and grow business on three continents.”
“I got to know Oliver as an inspirational leader who is constantly pushing innovation on all fronts, and I am sure he will make our brands shine brightly,” He said.
At Ovolo Hotels, Dave Baswal has been promoted to CEO, allowing founder and executive chairman Girish Jhunjhnuwala to focus on branding, development and strategic growth of the business. The group is looking for expansion opportunities across Asia-Pacific, Europe and the US.
Baswal started his journey with Ovolo as director of operations and finance in May 2016 based in Sydney, Australia and rose to become managing director Australia and New Zealand in March last year. Before joining Ovolo, he was with the Mantra Group Australia for more than eight years.
A statement said Baswal “has been instrumental in Ovolo’s growth during the pandemic and in building a strong team aligned around the group’s core values.”
“I am honored to lead this amazing group and to take Ovolo into its next phase at a time of enormous opportunity,” Baswal said.
Ovolo has 13 hotels and a dozen restaurants across Hong Kong, Australia and Indonesia.
Timur Sentuerk is the new COO Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) and member of the management board of Kempinski Hotels.
He was most recently chief people officer at Pure Data Centres in London, a private equity fund start-up.
In a career spanning more than 30 years, Sentuerk has also worked with Langham Hospitality Group, Pan Pacific Hotels Group, Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Oberoi Hotels & Resorts and Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group.
He joins Kempinski Hotels at an important juncture as the chain will be seeing new hotel openings and conversions in EMEA in the near future, said Bernold Schroeder, CEO of Kempinski Group.
“Throughout his career, he has amassed great operational and corporate leadership experience and possesses a strong understanding of the global luxury hospitality operations and stakeholder relationships driven by his tremendous passion for people,” Schroeder said.