The latest industry appointments

DOUGLAS MARTELL has been named as Onyx Hospitality Group’s new executive vice president and chief operating officer. Martell joins the Thailand-based company with 25 years’ experience, 13 of which were spent with IHG, most recently as vice president of operations for Southwest Asia.

DAVID STEPETIC has been appointed as the new general manager of Jumeirah Dhevanafushi. A US national, Stepetic arrives in the Maldives from Laucala Island Resort in Fiji where he served as general manager for the past two years. He previously had a 19-year spell with Four Seasons.

ABDULRAHAMAN AL BUSAIDY has been appointed chief operating officer of Oman Air. Educated in the UK, Al Busaidy joined Oman Air in 2000 before moving to Jet Airways as chief strategy & planning officer. He was also responsible for the launch and expansion of Jet Airways’ Gulf operations.

KORNCHUMA UDOMPHAN has been announced as the new director of sales for the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, which forms part of Starwood’s Luxury Collection. A Thai national, Ms Kornchuma joins the Sheraton from W Bangkok, where she served as senior director of sales.

RATNA MEHTA has become the new marketing manager for Tourism Malaysia’s operations in Mumbai. Ms Mehta has significant experience in the travel trade sector, and will now be tasked with handling Tourism Malaysia’s marketing and promotional activities for the Indian market.

MC KAVITHA has been announced as Tourism Malaysia’s new marketing manager for South India. Ms Kavitha has 17 years of experience in the travel arena and has worked with several airlines, including Qatar Airways and SriLankan Airlines. She will now be based in Chennai.

JAYSON HERON has been named as the new director of sales for Sydney’s events and entertainment venue, The Star. Heron joins The Star from his most recent role as national director of sales for Hilton in Australia, and he also previously worked at Melbourne’s Crown Entertainment Complex.