Marriott International has appointed Alex Kyriakidis as president and managing director of its Middle East and Africa (MEA) division based in Dubai effective from January 1, 2012. 

Kyriakidis has joined from his previous role as global managing director for tourism, hospitality and leisure at Deloitte LLP, also based in Dubai.

With 33 hotels in 10 countries, the MEA division is poised for major growth, with approximately 40 hotels in Marriott’s hotel development pipeline in the region and plans include significant new development in sub-Saharan African markets.

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Fluent in Arabic, English and Greek, Kyriakidis will lead Marriott’s team in the MEA, one of the company’s four continental operating divisions. He will oversee all aspects of the division’s business activities, including operations, sales and marketing, finance and hotel development. The company’s other continental divisions are the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.

“Alex brings exceptional business acumen, deep expertise in lodging, and focus on growth with a global mind set. He is the perfect leader to drive and manage our growth in the region,” Arne Sorenson, Marriott’s president and chief operating officer, said.

In his current position at Deloitte, Kyriakidis has led a team of 4500 in a division that generates US $700 million of revenues. His wide-ranging, 38-year career extends to 25 countries, with a particular focus on the European, Middle East and Africa, and Asia Pacific regions, and involves broad experience in strategic and financial planning, mergers and acquisitions and asset management.

A regular speaker at major conferences globally, Kyriakidis is a Fellow of the Arab Society of Certified Accountants, Fellow of the British Association of Hotel Accountants, and Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.