Dubai Holding has announced the appointment of Stefan Leser as the CEO of its hospitality unit Jumeirah Group effective from 1 February 2016.
Mr. Stefan Leser joins Jumeirah Group from Swiss travel business Kuoni, where he spent the last 10 years, most recently as Executive Vice President of its outbound travel and inbound specialist businesses managing a team of 8,000 employees.
He replaces Mr. Gerald Lawless, who served 18 years at the helm of Jumeirah Group.
H.E. Mohammed AlGergawi, Chairman of Dubai Holding, said, “We welcome Stefan Leser as the new CEO of Jumeirah Group. He has a deep understanding of the fast changing international travel market; experience which will play an important role in driving Jumeirah’s successful expansion plans both at home and abroad.”
H.E. thanked Mr. Lawless for his leadership of the Jumeirah Group and announced his appointment to a new position responsible for tourism and hospitality in Dubai Holding’s Corporate Office, and that he will hold the title of Honorary President of the Jumeirah Group and Chancellor of the Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management.
Stephen Murphy, Chairman of the Jumeirah Group, said, “I would like to express immense gratitude on behalf of the Jumeirah board to Gerald for his role in setting up, growing and leading the Jumeirah Group for the past 18 years. Under his leadership, the company has emerged as a major player in the luxury hospitality market and stands as one of the most widely recognized Dubai-born brands. As Gerald steps into his new role with Dubai Holding, the board warmly welcomes Stefan as Group Chief Executive Officer and looks forward to fully supporting him in leading the next exciting phase of growth for Jumeirah.”
Stefan Leser said, “It’s a great honor to join Jumeirah. I look forward to working closely with Jumeirah’s talented team as we continue to grow our international portfolio, build our range of brands and deliver ever better services to our guests and business partners.”
For more information, visit http://www.jumeirah.com