New team structure will better position Hyatt EAME to deliver on its growth objectives – offering a more localized and customized approach
On the heels of another year of industry-leading net rooms growth, Hyatt has appointed two new Senior Vice Presidents to support the business’s ongoing growth journey in the Europe, Africa and Middle East (EAME) region.
Peter Norman, leading Hyatt’s development efforts in the region since 2006, has been appointed as the SVP Corporate Development and Owner Relations for EAME, where he will focus on strategic owner relations and portfolio expansion. Felicity Black-Roberts, formerly the Vice President of Development for Western Europe, has been promoted to SVP Development for EAME.
“The EAME region plays a crucial role in Hyatt’s global expansion efforts. Over the past five years, Hyatt has achieved 79% growth in EAME. This jump in scale has leveraged the long-standing strategy focusing on capital cities and urban centres, which built the foundation for growth in secondary destinations, resorts and leisure spaces”, Javier Águila, Group President EAME commented. “We are confident that our strengthened development and transactions structure will allow us to explore new avenues of growth, ultimately accelerating expansion into new markets and segments.”
Peter Norman, newly appointed SVP Corporate Development and Owner Relations EAME explained, “In conjunction with our focus on growth via portfolios in the region, I look forward to increasingly focusing on maintaining and expanding relationships with our existing hotel owners and franchisees. Our loyal ownership community is responsible for a high share of pipeline contributions to date, propelling our growth in EAME.”
Felicity Black-Roberts, newly appointed SVP Development EAME added, “I am delighted to take on this new role. I look forward to working closely with our expanded team. Building on the impressive work done in recent years, the EAME Development Team is well-equipped to continue contributing to Hyatt’s overall growth trajectory.”
In her new role, Felicity will lead Hyatt’s growth initiatives across the EAME region, overseeing a diverse and growing team of subregional developers. Latest additions to her team include Anna Corkill as Regional Vice President of Development for the UK and Ireland, Gabriela Basovska as Director of Development for Northern Europe, and Carlos Paredes as Director of Development for Southern Europe, who previously focused on Hyatt”s all inclusive portfolio. Briana Swift, recently awarded with the ISHC Young Leader Award, has been promoted to Regional Vice President Western Europe earlier this year.
In 2023, Hyatt had created a new regional transactions role and appointed Jaime de la Mata as Vice President Portfolio Development and Transactions EAME to drive inorganic asset light growth throughout Europe, Africa and Middle East.
These strategic appointments will enable Hyatt to cover various geographies with dedicated resources, dividing Europe into Western & Northern, Southern, and Central & Eastern territories, while maintaining the existing MEA structure. This sub-regional split allows for a more localized and tailored approach to Hyatt’s global growth strategy.
Hyatt recently celebrated its seventh consecutive year of net room growth, boasting a global record pipeline of 129,000 rooms