Von Essen Poach Senior De Vere People

VON Essen has poached two senior managers from the De Vere group as part of a shake up of senior management.

Colin Bailey, formerly head of De Vere’s Village Hotels and Leisure Group, will step into the newly created Chief Operating Office role, and Stephen Littlefair, also from Village Hotels, takes over as Hotel Operating Finance Director.

The internal promotions affect Nick Romano, who goes from Operations Director to Chief Executive Officer, and Stephanie Gibbs moves from Finance Director to Group Finance Director.

The in-coming appointees have just under 40 years of combined experience in the hotel industry, and join Von Essen as the company adds two more hotels to its portfolio of around 25.

Commenting on the new appointments, Andrew Davis, Founder and Executive Chairman, said: “Investing in talent is central to our strategy for growth and consolidation and I am therefore delighted to welcome Colin and Stephen into the von Essen fold.

“As the company matures it is imperative that we match that evolution by strengthening our management team. I am certain that these additions, as well as the internal promotions, place the company in a fantastic position to move forward in the future.”