Marriott International has announced that Alex Kyriakidis, its president and managing director for the Middle East & Africa division, will leave the role at the end of this year.
Kyriakidis will lead then will step into an executive advisory role, the company said, adding that it anticipates announcing its plans for the region shortly.
“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 CEO, 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.”
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.
Marriott also 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 UAE and Saudi Arabia.
“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.”
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