The Peninsula Hotels is pleased to announce the appointment of Mark K. Kobayashi as Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, effective on 1 September 2018. In his new role, he will be responsible for global Marketing, Sales, Revenue, Brand Marketing, Communications, E-Commerce, Digital Marketing, Guest Engagement, Global Guest Database Management and the Global Customer Service Center.
Mark began his career with The Peninsula Hotels in October 2006, when he joined The Peninsula Tokyo as Director of Public Relations and formed a key part of the hotel’s opening team. Having been instrumental in developing the brand and positioning of The Peninsula Tokyo, both locally and internationally, he was promoted to Regional Director of Communications, Japan, in 2012. Three years later, he became Director of Marketing, Japan, and was responsible for The Peninsula’s Marketing, Sales, Revenue, Brand Marketing, Communications, E-Commerce and Digital Marketing initiatives in the country. In March 2017, he relocated to Hong Kong where he held the role of Vice President, Marketing, The Peninsula Hotels.
Japanese-American-born, Mark earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations, World Politics and Economics from the University of California, Davis. He began his career as Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff at the Office of Pete Wilson, Governor of California. In 1998, he relocated to Japan and joined a Japanese public relations firm, thereafter becoming Marketing Communications Manager at Hill+Knowlton Strategies in Tokyo. In 2003, Mark entered the hospitality industry as Director of Marketing Communications and opening team member of the Grand Hyatt Tokyo, and later worked as Director of Marketing at Bals Corporation, Japan’s leading interior furnishing company.
