InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has further strengthened its Australian operations leadership team with the promotion of Ruwan Peiris, who has taken on an expanded role as Director of Operations, Australia to drive the company’s continued expansion in Australia.
His promotion comes at a strategic time of growth for IHG with the opening of Holiday Inn Cairns Harbourside on September 1 and recent signings including InterContinental Perth, Crowne Plaza Hobart and Holiday Inn Express Adelaide Hindley Street.
Since joining IHG earlier this year as Regional General Manager for New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and Victoria, Peiris has demonstrated his strength in driving hotel performance and an excellence in building strong internal and owner relationships.
Peiris will now oversee the operational performance of all managed hotels in Australia, the National Convention Centre Canberra and Parliament House Catering by IHG.
Karin Sheppard, IHG Chief Operating Officer, Australasia, Japan, Korea and Franchising, Asia, Middle East and Africa (AMEA) said: “Having the right people in leadership positions is critical to supporting our growth in this key market. Ruwan is a leader with a stellar reputation in the industry and we are delighted to have him step up into this new position to support us as we grow our business and drive even greater performance across our hotels in Australia.”
Across Australia IHG currently has a total of 25 hotels open across three brands: InterContinental, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn, with a further six hotels in the pipeline due to open over the next three to five years. This includes the launch of Holiday Inn Express in Sydney’s Macquarie Park next year.