A native South African by birth, Sandi joins IHG with 30 years of extensive experience across the hospitality, finance and technology industries. She was most recently Group Director of Revenue in Tsogo Sun Hotels, during which time her background in information technology also put her in good stead to chair the South African Hospitality Technology Forum where she led the development of a next-generation central reservations system for the South African hospitality industry.
Karin Sheppard, Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Australasia, Japan & Korea, and AMEA Franchising, IHG said: "As a company we have placed a large focus on building and strengthening relationships with our franchise partners across our Asia, Africa and Middle East region. By creating this new role, based in South Africa, and bringing Sandi on-board, we will be able to support our franchise operations in Africa more efficiently and effectively benefitting both IHG and our hotel owners.
"Sandi is a market expert having worked extensively with hotel companies across the region throughout her career - with a particular focus on defining and developing their revenue growth strategies. This skill set along with her general hospitality experience will be a huge benefit to IHG as we continue to grow across the market."
Upon starting at IHG Sandi said "Market sentiments are very positive, with growing tourism numbers and the region seeing more foreign investment. With a strong presence in key cities already established in the region and the strength of IHG's brand we're in a good position to maximise this positive outlook."
"I am delighted to be joining the IHG family and look forward to helping drive the performance of our franchise hotels in Africa," she added.
