Geoffrey Kent and Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio have named Michael Wale as the new President and CEO of the Abercrombie & Kent Group.
Michael Wale joins the luxury travel company from Kerzner International, the owner of Atlantis and One and Only Resorts, where he was CEO. Before joining Kerzner, his career spanned almost 40 years with Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, culminating as President for Europe, Africa and Middle East, directly overseeing the operations of 250 hotels and resorts, for its 10 brands, in 60 countries. His new role will be effective 1st October 2020.
“With Michael, Abercrombie and Kent will start an exciting new chapter,” said Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio. “When guests book a holiday with us, they know we will guide them to amazing places, but the destination is a given. What they expect from us – and what keeps them coming back – is how we go the extra mile. Michael’s extensive experience in guest services and operations will take what A&K is known for to the next level.”
Geoffrey Kent added: “Michael Wale has a remarkable track record of steering leading luxury brands towards unequalled heights. We look forward to working with him to elevate Abercrombie and Kent’s profile and achieve even higher standards of excellence.”
Michael Wale is currently based in Dubai and will be relocating to Monaco. He will continue his association with Kerzner International as he joins the Board of the company.
“I am thrilled to be joining the team at Abercrombie and Kent at this pivotal time in the company’s history,” said Michael Wale. “I have travelled with A&K before and understand its distinctive approach to luxury experiential travel. I also look forward to working with Geoffrey and Manfredi, two titans of the travel industry, to build a bright future for our guests, partners and staff.”
Abercrombie and Kent is the world’s leading luxury and adventure travel company. Founded by Geoffrey Kent and his parents in 1962 as the first luxury safari outfitter, A&K’s award-winning travel services now extend around the globe to more than 100 countries on all seven continents.
Recent innovations include Inspiring Expeditions by Geoffrey Kent and Wings Over the World, regional journeys that combine the advantages of luxury small group travel with the comfort of privately-chartered flights.
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