IHG's Australian and New Zealand based Future Leaders had the opportunity to spend an afternoon with the region's successful alumni - Jan Smits, CEO for Africa, Middle East & Asia (AMEA) and Alan Watts, COO AMEA – on their recent visit to Sydney.  Both earned their leadership stripes in Australia and have worked throughout the global IHG network before taking up their current roles in the Singapore head office, and champion the company's leadership program which identifies high performance individuals and fast tracks their career to management level.

“Our people are our biggest assets, and the hospitality industry offers an excellent platform for growing and developing young talent. I'm very proud of IHG's Future Leaders program, which helps us identify and invest in dynamic young talent. The market in Australia and New Zealand has matured so much that high performing individuals can have a fantastic career with us here. And as a big global company we often export great local talent to other parts of the business – talent from here is particularly sought after in emerging markets. For this reason the talent pool and success stories are really strong, placing the region at a great advantage,” said Smits.

The group of eight completed the 18-month accelerated leadership program in between 2010 and 2013 and have spent the time since out in the field gaining leadership experience at hotels across Australia and NZ.

The group of eight (pictured) completed the 18-month accelerated leadership program in between 2010 and 2013 and have spent the time since out in the field gaining leadership experience at hotels across Australia and NZ. All of them are focused on a career as a GM and are amongst a total of 56 Future Leader team members currently out in the network.

Senior Director Human Resources, Lynda Ugarte said the retention rate of the program is one of the best in the industry, currently sitting at 85% for the region:

“This is a great reflection of the opportunities available to our Future Leaders who remain dedicated to a business that provides both regional and global opportunities and continued growth and investment in their potential.” 

COO for Australasia & Japan, Karin Sheppard, also in attendance – herself returning to Australia 12 months ago after working with IHG in both Europe and the Middle East – said this was a crucial time for the industry to grow its talent:

“IHG has a strong pipeline of new hotels set to join the network over the next two years in Australia and New Zealand so it is crucial that we invest in talent to lead our hotels of the future.”

Smits and Watts were in town to lock down final arrangements for the IHG AMEA Learning Event to be held in Sydney at the end of March:

“Sydney is an aspirational destination for AMEA team members across the region and there is much excitement for the upcoming travel to the Learning Event.  The scope of the event is to further increase knowledge and inspire our General Managers and functional leaders in the business. I can't think of a better place to host leaders from across 40 countries than a city like Sydney,” said Watts.

Pictured enjoying the spectacular views from InterContinental Sydney's Level 31 Club Lounge are Sam Swaffield (Crowne Plaza Auckland), Benjamin Burns (InterContinental Sanctuary Cove), Jillian Bright (InterContinental Sydney), Karin Sheppard, Zak Muysken (InterContinental Wellington), Jan Smits, Brenden Van Blerk (Holiday Inn Old Sydney), Leeahna Johnson (Holiday Inn Cairns Harbourside), Sophia Rodwell (Crowne Plaza Terrigal), Kirra Stott (InterContinental Sanctuary Cove), Lynda Ugarte and Alan Watts. 

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ABOUT IHG

IHG® (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is a global organisation with a broad portfolio of hotel brands, including InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Kimpton® Hotels & Restaurants, HUALUXE® Hotels and Resorts, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo®, EVEN™ Hotels, Holiday Inn® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites® and Candlewood Suites®.

IHG franchises, leases, manages or owns more than 5,000 hotels in nearly 100 countries, with more than 1,300 hotels in its development pipeline. IHG also manages IHG® Rewards Club, the world's first and largest hotel loyalty programme with more than 90 million members worldwide.  

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the Group's holding company and is incorporated in Great Britain and registered in England and Wales. More than 350,000 people work across IHG's hotels and corporate offices globally.

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