Leading Asian hospitality group Dusit International has appointed Mr Thierry Douin as its Regional Vice President for the Middle East and Africa (MEA), effective 1st March 2013. Mr Douin will act as the figurehead for Dusit International in the region, overseeing the company’s expansion efforts, driving operational performance and supervising the opening of new hotels from his base in the Dubai Regional Office.

A passionate and experienced hotelier, Mr Douin has been in the industry for more than 35 years. He has managed luxury hotels in many parts of the world, including in Hong Kong, Bangkok, Singapore, Dubai, Jakarta and Caracas for various groups, including InterContinental Hotels and Resorts and most recently, Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts.

Mr Douin, a French national, is a graduate of the Hotel and Catering School in Granville, France and is a Certified Hotel Administrator and Certified Food and Beverage Executive with the American Hotel and Motel Association. Over the course of his career, he has attended various executive programs such as the Luxury Brand Management Program at ESSEC Business School, the Asian International Executive Program at INSEAD Business School and the General Manager’s Program at the School of Hotel Administration, Cornell University.

“We welcome Thierry Douin into the Dusit family and look forward to his leadership in the Middle East and Africa where we expect to manage more hotels in the near future,” said Managing Director and CEO of Dusit International, Mr Chanin Donavanik.

“This is an exciting and important time to join the company, whilst it is focused on expansion and growth,” said Mr Douin on his appointment. “I hope my experience will strengthen the team and I look forward to capitalising on the great legacy of the Dusit brand in the MEA region, where it has been in operation for more than a decade.” Dusit International has a number of hotel openings in the MEA region over the next twelve months, including: Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi, U.A.E; dusitD2 nairobi, Kenya; dusitD2 dubai, U.A.E.; Dusit Thani Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and Dusit Residence and Suites West Bay in Doha, Qatar.