Alex Kyriakidis, President and Managing Director, Middle East & Africa, Marriott International, Inc.
Marriott International, Inc. has announced today that Alex Kyriakidis, President and Managing Director of the company’s Middle East & Africa division, will transition from the position effective 31 December 2019 to take up an executive advisory role for the company.
“As Marriott’s head of Middle East & Africa, Alex has, in a short amount of time, propelled the company to new heights,” said Arne Sorenson, President and Chief Executive Officer, Marriott International. “His passion, tenacity and global mindset have driven our growth in the region. During his tenure, Marriott’s presence in MEA has grown seven-fold to 264 properties, with the number of associates exceeding 60,000.”
Kyriakidis joined Marriott eight years ago as Marriott International’s first leader of MEA under the company’s newly established continent structure which created four continental operating divisions. During Kyriakidis’ tenure, Marriott’s presence in MEA grew from 37 hotels in 10 countries and territories to 264 properties in 30 countries and territories, with a signed pipeline of 184 hotels.
Prior to joining Marriott, Kyriakidis spent over 38 years providing strategic, financial, M&A, operational, asset management and integration services to organizations in the travel, hospitality and leisure space as Global Managing Director – Travel, Hospitality & Leisure for Arthur Andersen and then Deloitte LLP. During his years at Deloitte, Marriott was Kyriakidis’ client for three decades.
Under Kyriakidis’ leadership, Marriott developed a hospitality training program in the Middle East in response to a growing need for talent within the industry. “Tahseen,” an Arabic word which means to improve, enhance or enrich, focuses on fast tracking the next generation of hospitality leaders from Egypt, Oman, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by providing them with firsthand experience and a springboard to launch successful careers in the industry.
“The Tahseen program is an excellent example of how Alex viewed the impact Marriott could have in the Middle East,” Sorenson said. “For Alex, success in the region couldn’t solely be defined by hotel growth – it needed also to generate opportunities for people to grow careers in hospitality. Alex leaves us on a strong path for continued growth in the years ahead and with a rich and lasting legacy in this region.”
Kyriakidis will lead the Middle East & Africa region for Marriott International through the end of the year and then will step into an executive advisory role for the company. The company anticipates announcing its plans for the region shortly.
Kyriakidis is a Fellow of the Arab Society of Certified Accountants, a Fellow of the British Association of Hotel Accountants, and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. Kyriakidis holds a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science and mathematics from Leeds University in the United Kingdom. He is based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Rita Ghantous is a hospitality aficionado and a passionate writer with over 9 years’ experience in journalism and 5 years experience in the hospitality sector.
Her passion for the performance arts and writing, started early. At 10 years old she was praised for her solo performance of the Beatles song “All My Love” accompanied by a guitarist, and was approached by a French talent scout during her school play. However, her love for writing was stronger. Fresh out of school, she became a freelance journalist for Noun Magazine and was awarded the Silver Award Cup for Outstanding Poetry, by The International Library of Poetry (Washington DC).
She studied Business Management and earned a Masters degree from Saint Joseph University (USJ), her thesis was published in the Proche-Orient, Études en Management book.
She then pursued a career in the hospitality industry but didn’t give up writing, that is why she launched the Four Points by Sheraton Le Verdun Newsletter.
Her love for the industry and journalism led her to Hospitality Services - the organizers of the HORECA trade show in Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Jordan, as well as Salon Du Chocolat, Beirut Cooking Festival, Whisky Live and other regional shows. She is currently the Publications Executive of Hospitality News Middle East, Taste & Flavors and Lebanon Traveler.
It is with ultimate devotion for her magazines that she demonstrates her hospitality savoir-faire.
