Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts names new president and COO

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts has appointed Oliver Bonke as president and chief operating officer. Madhu Rao will hand over his acting president responsibilities to Bonke from September 1, 2017 and continue to serve as executive director.In his new roles, Bonke will oversee the group’s executive vice presidents responsible for regional hotel operations, as well as the operational division heads of food and beverage, sales, marketing, rooms, engineering, security, and quality improvement.The COO position was previously held by Christopher Liu.Bonke will report directly to Lim Beng Chee, CEO of Shangri-La Asia Limited and will be based at Shangri-La’s headquarters in Hong Kong.“With his proven strong leadership and operational experience globally, I am confident Oliver will drive excellence and lead Shangri-La through the next phase of the group’s development and growth,” said Lim.Bonke has nearly 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry, most recently with Loews Hotels & Co. as chief commercial officer. Prior to joining Loews Hotels & Co., Bonke was chief commercial officer for InterContinental Hotels Group in the Americas; he was also with Starwood Hotels and Resorts as senior vice president, sales & marketing in Asia Pacific, and then in the same role with Starwood covering Europe, the Middle East and Africa.“Shangri-La has earned a stellar reputation with travellers around the world. It is an honour to join this dynamic company to help develop strategy and support the future growth of its exceptional portfolio of properties. On a more personal note, I look forward to returning to Asia, which feels like a homecoming,” said Bonke.