Amanda Hyndman, promoted to Chief People Officer and Francesco Cefalú, Chief Development Officer. Both have been with the group since 2007 and 2016 respectively.
As Chief People Officer, Amanda Hyndman will be responsible for establishing, implementing and evaluating global human resources strategies to support the group's growth and employee career development.
Amanda Hyndman joined the group in 2007 as general manager of the Excelsior, Hong Kong, and subsequently held general management positions at Mandarin Oriental, Washington DC and Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok. Prior to her promotion, she was previously Director of Quality & Rooms since 2020. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Hotel Management from the University of Strathclyde.
As Chief Development Officer, Francesco Cefalú is responsible for overseeing and developing the Group's portfolio of hotels and residences worldwide.
Francesco Cefalú joined the Group in 2016 as Regional Development Director for the EMEA market and is responsible for several major deals including Lake Como, Muscat, Kuwait, Zurich, Tel Aviv, Vienna and Cortina.
Prior to that he worked at Hilton from 2008 to 2013 where he held several Development Manager positions and then at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts from 2013 to 2016 as Vice President Development, Europe. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a degree in economics from Bocconi University in Milan.
"I am delighted to announce the promotions of Amanda and Francesco! Both have made outstanding contributions to the Group's success and I am confident that they will continue to lead their teams with passion and dedication as they take part in the Group's development." - James Riley, Group Chief Executive.
