The board at City Developments has announced the appointment of Clarence Tan as group chief executive officer for Millennium & Copthorne Hotels.

The 52-year-old hotelier will take up the role on April 2nd.

As the first chief executive for the privatised Millennium & Copthorne, Tan will spearhead a turnaround in the performance of the global hotel portfolio.

Millennium & Copthorne currently encompasses 150 hotels and 43,500 rooms worldwide, many in key gateway cities.

Reporting to City Developments and Millennium & Copthorne Executive Chairman, Kwek Leng Beng, Tan will work closely with the leadership team to deliver sustainable hotel performance by focusing on achieving synergies, cost efficiencies and driving profitability.

Tan has over 20 years of global hospitality experience, with a track record in hotel development and management, financial management, merger and acquisitions, integration, partnerships and joint ventures.

He has deep experience in international hotel chain management, having headed several regions as chief executive or chief operating officer.

He was most recently the managing director for south-east Asia and Korea with InterContinental Hotels Group, where he was responsible for the growth, financial and operational performance of about 100 hotels.

Under his stewardship, the business delivered US$1.2 billion in hotel revenue to the London-listed IHG at a healthy margin and added to their system size and pipeline.

Kwek Leng Beng said: “As a veteran hotelier with a wealth of international experience in hotel operations, management and finance, Tan’s leadership will be critical in navigating Millennium & Copthorne through near-term global and macroeconomic challenges, as well as driving portfolio performance enhancements through significant cost-efficiency initiatives and building brand equity.

“With his extensive and distinguished career in the hospitality industry, and strong business, financial management and business recovery capabilities, I am confident that Clarence will play a key role in this integration and transformational process, elevating Millennium & Copthorne into a formidable global hospitality group.”