11th January 2017: Belmond Ltd. (NYSE: BEL) (the “Company” or “Belmond”) today announced the appointment of Kenneth Hatton as Senior Vice President, Global Development, effective 23rd January 2017.
Mr. Hatton has over 18 years of experience in Mergers & Acquisitions and global hotel-related transactions. He joins Belmond from Hyatt International where he held the position of Senior Vice President, Corporate Transactions Group, covering Europe, Africa, Middle East and Asia Pacific since 2011. Prior to that, as Partner in Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP (which subsequently combined to become Dentons), Mr. Hatton led the European operations of the firm’s hospitality practice, a role in which he represented a wide range of both owners and operators in the global hotel industry. Earlier in his career, Mr. Hatton was an associate at Squire, Sanders & Dempsey in Brussels where he focused on private M&A across Europe, as well as an associate in New York at Winthrop, Stimson, Putnam & Roberts where he was involved with public M&A transactions. In his career to date, he worked on transactions involving approximately 300 hotels.
Mr. Roeland Vos, President and Chief Executive Officer of Belmond noted: “We are thrilled to have Kenneth join us to take the lead of our global development team. Kenneth’s experience in negotiating acquisitions, management, and franchise agreements in many markets will be a tremendous asset to Belmond as we look to implement our strategic plan to double the size of the Company’s footprint by 2020.”
Mr. Hatton commented: “There is a great sense that Belmond is at a dynamic point of transformation. It is hard to think of any luxury hotel company better positioned to satisfy the global and growing demand for experiences over product. With an unparalleled portfolio of irreplaceable hotels, and with decades of practice in the art of tailoring unforgettable journeys whether combining trains, cruises or safaris; it is thrilling to consider the potential for Belmond’s growth. The Company has set out a bold plan to double its footprint, and I relish the opportunity of contributing to this exciting endeavour.”
Mr. Hatton is an Irish national and graduate of Trinity College Dublin, with a degree in Law, and he holds a Masters in Business Administration from each of London Business School and Columbia Business School. He is passionate about equality and diversity, enjoys a wide range of music and loves a good book by Banville.
