The Leading Hotels of the World (LHW) is appointing Chris Walker to the position of senior vice president, global sales, effective as of July 11, 2019. Walker will be based in LHW’s New York City headquarters and will report directly to interim CEO Shannon Knapp.
Walker had previously spent four years serving as senior vice president, sales-Americas at LHW. Within some of the company’s largest offices, Walker streamlined sales efforts while driving double digit annual hotel revenue growth. He managed technology implementations to enhance sales efficiency and process redesign to improve relationships with hoteliers and critical sales accounts.
Walker has worked in hospitality and marketing for more than 20 years, starting his career at Hyatt. There, he held several positions within the organization, including vice president of brand experience for four of Hyatt’s brands, and director of partner marketing. Walker also worked at American Express in its service delivery network and consumer travel network leading Fine Hotels & Resorts, American Express' luxury hotel program for Premium Card members.
Philip Ho will step down from his position as senior vice president, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific, effective September 13, 2019. Ho has served at LHW over the past decade, leading his team in increasing revenue from Asia Pacific by 150 percent since 2010 and from Europe and the Middle East by 75 percent since 2013. Ho has also driven growth for member hotels from up-and-coming markets, specifically mainland China, India and the Middle East. Over the next eight weeks, Ho will work closely with Walker to facilitate the transition for the organization.
On April 12, CEO of Leading Hotels of the World, Ted Teng, stepped down from his position after leading the company for a decade. Shannon Knapp, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, became interim CEO on April 13.
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