Fairmont The Palm reveals senior management team
Fairmont The Palm, Dubai, comprising 381 luxurious rooms and suites, is preparing to open its doors to the public this autumn.
Hotelier Middle East got a sneak peek at The Palm Jumeirah property recently and can now reveal its full senior management team, who will work together to position the hotel as one of the top luxury getaways in the emirates.
Click through to the following pages to reveal names, bios and pictures of the senior staff members...
Martin Van Kan, general manager
Martin brings a wealth of experience to this position with a career spanning close to 25 years, where he has held executive positions within leading hotel companies, from more than 10 years with InterContinental Hotel Group in various destinations, including China, Lebanon, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Oman, to more than nine years with Hyatt International in the Philippines, Indonesia, South Korea and Nepal.
His previous position as director of operations Oman and general manager of Al Bustan Palace, an InterContinental hotel, saw several achievements in business performance, environmental and community relations, including natural disaster relief campaigns for beleaguered countries oversees.
Van Kan holds a diploma in hotel management and operations from the Ecole Hôtelièr Les Roches, in Switzerland.
As the pre opening general manager, he is responsible for the opening and subsequent performance of Fairmont The Palm, as well as establishing a foothold for the Fairmont brand on the world-acclaimed Palm Jumeirah.
Frederic Bellone, director of operations
Frédéric brings more than 15 years of experience in this role, primarily through the food and beverage division beginning in Cannes, France, at the Hotel Martinez. He quickly moved into key leadership positions with Ritz-Carlton and Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, joining global hospitality in 2002 at the Fairmont Jasper Lodge in Alberta, Canada as restaurant manager. Subsequently, he has held roles at Fairmont properties in California, Quebec and Monaco, culminating in his 2009 position as director of operations at the Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac in Quebec, Canada.
Bellone holds both restaurant management and hotel food and beverage management degrees from the Lycee Technique d’Hotellerie et de Tourism from Nice, France, as well as an E-Cornell certificate in hotel real estate investments and asset management.
In his current role as director of operations, Bellone is responsible for the pre opening planning and will oversee the day-to-day operations of the hotel, including guest satisfaction indexes and financial performance.
Nicole Lui, director of sales and marketing
With more than 15 years of experience in sales and marketing, Nicole has worked with renowned hospitality companies, including the InterContinental Hotel Group and Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. Starting her career in 1993 as a sales executive in her native country of Australia, Lui quickly moved into key leadership positions at the InterContinental Sydney, culminating with the director of sales and marketing role at the hotel. In 2004, she moved overseas to the Four Seasons Resorts Bali as director of sales and marketing and in 2007 she relocated to sister property Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai as director of marketing. Nicole first joined Fairmont Hotels & Resorts in 2010 at the Fairmont Peace Hotel in Shanghai, China, where she was responsible for the relaunch of the century-old property, following an extensive restoration and refurbishment period.
In her current role, Lui is responsible for establishing both the pre and post opening hotel sales strategy, as well as reinforcing the Fairmont brand on the Palm Jumeirah.
Vasileios Oikonomopoulos, director of food and beverage
With a career spanning more than 10 years, Vasileios has worked for leading hospitality companies, including Club Med International, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels International and Sofitel Luxury Hotels, Accor. In his previous position as the culinary project manager and complex opening food and beverage director to the Starwood’s Luxury Collection Resorts and Westin Resort in Costa Navarino, Greece, he was responsible for 13 restaurants and lounges and a convention centre of 4,000 square metres.
Oikonomopoulos obtained certificates in revenue management and financial management, and is currently working towards a master certificate in hospitality management from Cornell University. He also holds a project management professional certificate from the Project Management Institute in the United States.
As director of food and beverage at Fairmont The Palm, he is responsible for the hotel’s entire food and beverage portfolio, consisting of seven restaurants and lounges, as well as the banqueting operation.
John K. Cordeaux, executive chef
With a 25-year career, Cordeaux first joined Fairmont Hotels & Resorts as executive chef at The Fairmont Queen Elizabeth in Montreal in 1995 and a few years later, in 1999, he relocated to the company’s Canadian flagship property - The Fairmont Royal York - in Toronto, Canada, as executive chef, effectively leading the country’s largest hotel kitchen. In 2005, he held the position of director of food and beverage.
His first foray to the Middle East took place in 2009, when he was part of the pre opening team of Fairmont Bab Al Bahr in Abu Dhabi as executive chef, successfully launching several new restaurants in the capital city, which went on to receive numerous awards, as well as him being named as ‘Chef of the Year’ in 2010 by Hotelier Middle East.
Cordeaux holds a professional certification in food and beverage management from Cornell University in New York, certificates in strategic management culture and finance from the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada and a culinary apprenticeship from Sheffield College in the UK.
In this new role, he is responsible for seven restaurants, 3,500 square metres of meeting space and a culinary brigade of over 100 chefs and cooks.
Ian C. Taylor, director of rooms
Starting his career in Toronto, Canada more than 15 years ago at various hospitality companies, including Delta Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels & Resorts and InterContinental Hotel Group, Ian left his native country in 2004 and joined Four Seasons Resort, Palm Beach in Florida as the director of housekeeping. He first joined Fairmont Hotels & Resorts in 2006 as the executive housekeeper at the Fairmont Banff Springs in Alberta, Canada, followed by the role of director of rooms in 2008 at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, also in Alberta.
Taylor holds a hospitality management diploma from the Professional Development Institute of Tourism in British Columbia, Canada.
In his role as director of rooms, Taylor is responsible for daily operations of the rooms division, including housekeeping, guest services, security, front office, the children’s club and Fairmont Gold.
Andrea Fennessy, director of human resources
With 10 years of experience working with Fairmont Hotels & Resorts in North America, this company stalwart first started her hospitality career in 2002 as a recruitment manager at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise in Alberta, Canada. She continued in this capacity at sister Fairmont hotels located in Ontario, Canada and Florida, United States, and in 2006 took on her first executive leadership role as assistant director of human resources at the Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort & Club in Aventura, Florida. In 2007, Andrea joined the Fairmont Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada as director of human resources, a position she kept until joining the pre opening team at Fairmont The Palm in late 2011.
Andrea holds a BA degree from McMaster University in Manitoba, Canada, a certificate in human resources management from Saint Mary’s University in Nova Scotia, Canada, and a certified human resource professional designation from the Human Resources Management Association of Manitoba, Canada.
As director of human resources at Fairmont The Palm, Andrea oversees the recruitment and training of over 700 hospitality professionals.
Norman John Vaz, financial controller
With a career spanning more than 25 years, Norman brings considerable regional experience to this role with key leadership positions within the Sheraton Hotel Group, InterContinental Hotel Group, Radisson SAS Hotels & Resorts, Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts and Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts. His most recent position with the latter at Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, Jumeirah Lake Towers, saw the seasoned hotelier as part of the pre opening team, responsible for setting up the finance department, overseeing the pre opening and operating budget and establishing standard operating and accounting compliance procedures.
Vaz holds master of commerce and bachelor of law degrees from Bombay University, specializing in accounting, business management and company law.
As the financial controller of another pre opening property, Vaz is tasked with overseeing pre and post opening budgets, forecast preparations and diligent financial monitoring.
Tanya Engvig, director of housekeeping
With a wealth of international experience ranging from Australia, Switzerland, Belgium, the West Indies, United Arab Emirates, the Maldives and Egypt, Tanya brings more than 20 years of experience to this role. Working for reputable international brands, including Hyatt Hotels and Resorts, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Taj Exotica Resort and Spas, and Oberoi Hotels and Resorts, in 2008 she joined Fairmont Nile City in Cairo, Egypt as the director of housekeeping. In this role, she was responsible for the pre and post opening of the 567 room hotel with a team of over 200 in housekeeping and laundry.
Engvig holds a diploma in Swiss hotel management from the Hotel Institute Montreux in Switzerland.
In her role as director of housekeeping at Fairmont The Palm, Engvig’s duties are centred upon coordinating and planning housekeeping duties for the hotel’s guestrooms, restaurants, public outdoor landscaping areas.
Sushant N. Pawar, director of engineering
Beginning his career 10 years ago in the state of Goa, India, Pawar was responsible for the establishment of systems and procedures (SOP’s) for the engineering departments of the Taj Exotica and the White Sands Resort. In 2005, Pawar moved to the Middle East where he held progressive leadership positions, including assistant chief engineer and chief engineer in Bahrain and Oman at the Elite Resort & Spa and the Park Inn, part of the Rezidor Hotel Group. In 2010, he transferred to the Radisson Blu Hotel Downtown Dubai as chief engineer and was also a member of the hotel’s pre opening team, handling the facility management of both the hotel and commercial components of the new build.
Pawar holds an electrical engineering degree and an advanced diploma in computer software systems, analysis and applications from Mumbai University.
In his new role, he is responsible for the property takeover from the building architects, facility management, and developing energy efficient practices.
Aoibheanna Bonner, director of spa
Irish native Aoibheanna began her first foray into the spa industry in the Middle East as the spa and recruitment manager at ESPA at Yas Viceroy (formally The Yas Hotel), Abu Dhabi in 2010. In this position, she oversaw the implementation of the first branded ESPA spa in the UAE, combined with running the leisure facilities, including the children’s club.
With 10 years of experience, she has held progressive positions in Ireland and Edinburgh, Scotland, ranging from senior beauty therapist at the Caledonian Hilton Hotel to management positions with The Edge Health & Fitness Club, Royal Bank of Scotland HQ, and the opening of award winning day spa at Norton House Hotel & Spa.
Bonner is the recipient of multiple diplomas including international ITEC and CIBTAC qualifications in anatomy and physiology from The Dermal College of Beauty Therapy, Ireland and various spa specific diplomas from The Mary Reid Beauty College in Edinburgh, Scotland.
In her current role she is responsible for establishing the first authentic Willow Stream Spa experience in the United Arab Emirates for the Fairmont brand, consisting of 13 treatment rooms, dedicated ladies and gents salons and a range of signature treatments.