Vivek Badrinath has joined French hotel giant Accor as deputy chief executive.

He will be responsible for marketing, digital solutions, distribution, and information systems, and will also be a member of the group’s executive committee.

Thee appointment will be effective as of March 1st, 2014.

Accor chief executive Sébastien Bazin declared: “I am very happy Vivek has agreed to join Accor.

“He will be responsible for areas that are key to the group’s success and the development of its brands.

“I am convinced that his perfect knowledge of digital issues and his international experience will give new impulse to Accor’s teams and be sources of innovation and creativity.

“He brings 20 years of experience in an industry that has been through several technological revolutions and this will enable us to handle the major challenges facing the hotel sector and be ahead of the curve.”

Badrinath was born in 1969.

He is a graduate of École Polytechnique and École Nationale Supérieure des Télécommunications.

Badrinath started his career in 1992 at the French ministry of industry.

In 1996, he joined Orange, working in various technical positions with the Long Distance Networks Department before moving to be chief executive of Thomson India in 2000.

He returned to Orange in 2004 as technical director in charge of mobile activities and then joined the group’s executive committee in 2009, heading up the Networks and Operators Division.

He was then named executive director of Orange Business Services from April 2010 to April 2012 before being appointed deputy chief executive in charge of innovation, marketing and technologies on May 1st, 2013.