IHG promotes respected leader

Posted in Business, People on 10 February, 2024

Leanne Harwood is to take up the reigns as senior vice president (SVP), managing director, Luxury & Lifestyle Americas at IHG Hotels & Resorts on 1 March. She will oversee daily operations of the LLA organisation, drive performance and operations of IHG’s six Luxury & Lifestyle brands and support their growth in the region.

An industry veteran with nearly three decades of hospitality experience, Leanne is currently SVP, managing director for IHG’s Japan, Australasia and Pacific region. She has led impressive regional growth since assuming this position in January 2018, expanding its reach to include nearly 160 open or in pipeline hotels.

Jolyon Bulley, CEO – Americas, IHG Hotels & Resorts, said: “Leanne has built a proven reputation among IHG and the broader industry as a trusted and strategic leader, and I have no doubt she is the right person to lead the next era of growth for our Luxury & Lifestyle portfolio in the Americas region. From operations, commercial and sales to food and beverage, her depth and breadth of experience is very well suited for this role.”

Before joining IHG, Leanne assumed roles of increasing leadership and responsibility across various sales, operations and commercial teams. She began her hospitality journey at a hotel bar in New Zealand and ultimately became its food and beverage director and later New Zealand’s first female hotel concierge.

In 2021, she was elected the first female president of Accommodation Australia, the nation’s most prominent hospitality assembly. She is chair of IHG’s ANA Hotels Group Japan Board and was an early sponsor of IHG’s Rise programme, which supports the development of female general managers through training, mentorship and resource access.