AccorHotels has appointed Russell Scott as the new vice president of food and beverage (F&B) for its luxury brands in the Middle East.

Scott brings more than three decades of hospitality experience spanning across Europe and the Middle East within leading global companies including Jumeirah Restaurant Group, Terra Firma, Scottish & Newcastle and M.H Alshaya Co.
 
AccorHotels’ luxury & upper upscale portfolio includes the Raffles, Sofitel, Sofitel Legend, SO Sofitel, Fairmont, MGallery, Pullman, Swissôtel and Grand Mercure brands. In his role, Scott will focus on creating synergies across the luxury brands in order to capitalise and leverage marketing, communications, loyalty, design and technical services.
 
Having most recently spearheaded, as managing director, a pioneering approach to take a large portfolio of restaurants out of the direct hotel management to form an independent commercial restaurant company; Scott’s experience leaves him in an unrivalled position to navigate AccorHotels’ luxury portfolio of brands in their next F&B chapter. With his vast proficiency in the GCC market, Scott will blend global brand knowledge with local market intricacies to ensure an integrated approach which remains true to each unique luxury brand.
 
Regionally, Scott’s ability to lead, mentor and build teams in order to drive performance is well known and something which he first recognised as a key skill early on in his career playing rugby at a competitive level in the UK. Subsequently, he has led teams over the years to win prestigious accolades across the globe including Restaurant of the Year, Best New Concept, Chef of the Year, Bar Team of the Year and Best Design.
 
Scott holds a degree in Corporate Finance from London Business School, UK and is based in Dubai. - TradeArabia News Service