Centara Hotels & Resorts, Thailand’s leading hotel operator, has announced the appointment of two new members to its executive team.

Andrew Langston, a British national with over 34 years’ experience in hospitality management and development, joins as the new senior vice president business development in the company’s development team and Saranya Chensukitphanit has taken on the role of corporate director of training and talent development.

Langston arrives with exceptional experience and a vast cross-discipline, global network. He has held senior management positions with major hotel groups such as Banyan Tree and Intercontinental Hotels group [IHG] and most recently he held the position of executive vice president, strategic advisory and asset management, at Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels & Hospitality Group, for whom he was based in Thailand and working throughout the Asia region. It can certainly be said that Langston’s talents in the service industry were honed at the highest level, having earlier in his career served the British royal family as a footman at Buckingham Palace, a role which included looking after Her Majesty the Queen of England, Diana the Princess of Wales and Prince William amongst others. This natural aptitude in hospitality saw him move into the hotel industry where his steady advancement included responsibilities in Singapore, Philippines, Korea, Macau, China, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Thailand and Australia.

In her new role, Chensukitphanit will help Centara attract and develop talent, prepare them for growing responsibilities, and support the company’s high-performance service culture.

Before joining Centara, Chensukitphanit was a human resources business partner in PepsiCo’s Asia Pacific Region. Her previous experience included HR management posts for Estee Lauder and the Dutch dairy giant Friesland Campina. She graduated with a degree in Chinese Language from Chulalongkorn University and received a Master’s degree in Management from the University of York in the UK.

“We are delighted to welcome both Andrew and Saranya to the team. Together, they will help us make great strides towards doubling Centara’s revenues and number of properties as well as make Centara one of the best places to work in the hospitality industry," said CEO Thirayuth Chirathivat. - TradeArabia News Service