Hilton has appointed Amir Lababedi as its new managing director development – MENA.
Hilton is expected to triple in size in the Middle East from some 40 hotels to more than 120 in the next three to five years, and is developing rapidly in Morocco and across North Africa.
Commenting on his appointment, Carlos Khneisser, vice president development Middle East and North Africa, said: “I am delighted to welcome Amir Lababedi to Hilton. He has a proven track record of great relationships, deal making and delivering outstanding results across the region. His professional experience has allowed him to work on a huge range of hotel and tourism related projects, including owner and operator related development roles, feasibility studies, valuations, operator contract negotiations, owner representation, asset management, and strategic advisory across all ranges of hotel products and asset classes in the region. He will be a great asset and addition to our MENA team.”
| Advertisement |
Hilton currently operates 64 hotels in the Middle East and North Africa. A key focus for the company is the strategic deployment of its industry-leading brands in new and existing markets.
“I am delighted to be joining such an innovative and dynamic company. Hilton is nearly 100 years old, and yet it thinks and acts like a start-up. Hilton has never lost the underlying principle of best-in-class hospitality that continues to be its key differentiator and underpins the company’s superior performance. There has been great growth in the region and there is still tremendous development potential throughout the Middle East and Africa. I am very much looking forward to working with the first-class team in the region,” Lababedi said.
Lababedi joins Hilton from Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, where he played a key role in leading the company’s growth in Europe, Middle East, and Africa. Before joining Mövenpick, he was associate director at HVS, a leading global hotel consulting and valuation firm based in Dubai, a company he also previously worked for in London for four years.
A United Kingdom national, of Arabic-English descent, he received his formal education in England attaining a BSc in Hotel Management at the University of Surrey and an MSc in Global Banking and Finance at the London European Business School. Through his family business and internships, Lababedi gained extensive operational experience in various departments, including a stint at the former Conrad London in Chelsea.
He has also gained extensive experience in various forms of operating agreements including leases and rental pool structures and has developed a robust network of industry stakeholders in the EMEA region. He has also held managerial positions with Abu Dhabi-based sovereign funds in their real estate and corporate finance departments.
Lababedi will be based in Dubai, reporting to Carlos Khneisser, where he will work with the exceptional team in Dubai and beyond.