As it concentrates on the EMEA markets, Hyatt leadership appoints two new SVPs.

Two senior executives have been appointed by Hyatt to its Europe, Africa, and Middle East (EMEA) area. Senior vice president of commercial services has been named Heidi Kunkel, while senior vice president of human resources has been named Monique Dekker. Both executives have a demonstrated history of promoting inclusivity in the workplace and have a wealth of expertise in the hotel industry in several of Hyatt's major development countries.

These appointments take place while Javier Guila, president of the EMEA group, oversees the region's preparations for ongoing development. In 2022, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East were home to 45 percent of the 120 properties that entered the worldwide Hyatt portfolio. While 10% of Hyatt's pipeline of 117,000 rooms are distributed out throughout EMEA in the near future.

SVP of commercial services Heidi Kunkel

In charge of sales, revenue management, distribution strategy, corporate marketing, brands, communications, digital, and the World of Hyatt loyalty program, Kunkel will head up Hyatt's commercial services division in EMEA. She previously spent 15 years at Club Med in commercial and operational positions spanning Asia Pacific and Europe & Africa. Prior to joining Hilton, she served as vice president of operations for Australasia.

"I am incredibly excited about accelerating growth opportunities for Hyatt across the EAME region, with a focus on priority source markets like the UK, Germany, France, and Spain, and driving engagement of our World of Hyatt loyalty programme," said Kunkel. Through our World of Hyatt app and Hyatt.com website, we have a fantastic chance to boost direct reservations, and we look forward to collaborating closely with Monique to foster and encourage the variety of talents in our area.

HR SVP Monique Dekker

Dekker, who started her career with Hyatt more than 25 years ago, will be in charge of "bringing purpose" to work inside the organization by giving its approximately 18,000 people in EMEA chances at every level.

She formerly worked as general manager at the Park Hyatt Vienna, one of the hotel chain's most renowned hotels in Europe. She has held a number of positions at Hyatt facilities in Tokyo, Düsseldorf, Chicago, and Singapore. Building on her previous roles as Chairing Women @ Hyatt, a global initiative to accelerate and increase professional growth opportunities for female employees, with 13 chapters and more than 600 colleagues directly involved in EMEA alone, and serving on the group's global diversity equity and inclusion council, she will advance a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace.

Dekker stated, "I am extremely passionate about Hyatt's purpose of care, and am committed to creating a culture where everyone, regardless of who they are, where they are from, or what stage of their careers they are in, have equal chances to be their best and are encouraged to speak up and be heard. I am eager to make a substantial contribution to my new position from my long-standing participation with Women @ Hyatt and our diversity, equality, and inclusion initiatives at the property level.

"The strategic value of HR is increasing, and its significance has never been greater," she concluded. I'm looking forward to using my experience in operations to help our regional hotels and corporate offices, and I'll approach the job with an open mind and an eagerness to learn. I'm excited to go outside of my comfort zone and set an example for others to follow.

The appointments are a part of Hyatt's aim to find and hire female executives for its regional head office as well as all of its properties. Additionally, they boost female presence at the top echelons of the organization, furthering the advancement of inclusion and diversity at work.