Kevin A. Burley joined the aha Hotel and Lodges team in June, as the group’s Operations Director for the KwaZulu Natal region.
Burley is a City and Guilds graduate in Catering and Hospitality. He is also an Executive, Business and Life Coach Diplomat with International Coaching Federation registration.
He has a solid background in hospitality, operational management and people development. He has worked in numerous countries with some of the world’s best brands.
Burley will direct hotel operations at a Group level.
Sun Africa Hotels has named Mohammed Hersi as the new Group Chief Executive Officer.
Hersi is current Chairman of the Kenya Tourism Federation, and was General Manager of the Sarova Whitesands Resort and Spa for ten years before moving to Heritage Hotels, where he was appointed CEO. He will be relocating to Nairobi.
The Rezidor Hotel Group has appointed Patrick Lan as Regional Director for North Africa and the Indian Ocean, and William McIntyre has been appointed Regional Director of Southern Africa.
Faircity Quatermain and Faircity Falstaff have appointed Shaun Wheeler as new General Manager.
Wheeler was General Manager at well-known hotels such as the Palace of the Lost City, Table Bay Hotel, Zimbali, Beverly Hills Hotel, InterContinental Johannesburg Airport and InterContinental Taba Heights in Egypt.
Wheeler comes from Durban and studied hotel management at the Durban Hotel School, ML Sultan Technikon, now the Durban University of Technology.
Carol White has been appointed Managing Director of Meikles Hospitality, a Zimbabwean group that operates the 102-year-old Meikles Hotel in Harare.
White is the first female to lead the organisation.
The One&Only Cape Town have made several additions to its kitchen team. Former Reuben’s Restaurant Head Chef, Chris Mare has been appointed Executive Sous Chef.
Chef Harold Hurtada has joined the Nobu team in Cape Town from Nobu Dubai. Hurtada will be using his expertise and knowledge and has worked with Chef Nobu. Chef Kyle Hickman and his team will lead the pastry kitchen, and Jason Millar, newly appointed Resort Head Chef will lead the entire kitchen team.
Peter Dunning has been appointed Manager at Victoria Falls Island Lodge.
He was born in Zimbabwe, and started his career in the industry as a white-water rafting guide in Vic Falls.
Earl Larkin has been appointed as Selborne Golf Estate, Hotel and Spa’s new Executive Chef.
Born and raised in KwaZulu Natal, he has over 24 years of culinary experience. Larkin has a passion for fusion cuisine and is looking forward to making his mark with inventive new menu offerings.
Larkin studied culinary studies at M L Fulton Hotel School, honing his skills as a Chef at Fedics Food Services, Victoria Club and most recently during his nine years at Sun International, managing Sun City’s Conferencing and Banqueting facility.
“I have always had a love for preparing food and experimenting with flavours; this is my passion,” says Larkin.
“We are very excited to welcome Chef Earl to the Selborne team and look forward to taking our dining experience to new heights - whether it is in the relaxed atmosphere of The Terrace, the more formal elegance of The Lord Selborne Restaurant, the convivial atmosphere of Barker’s Bar or opting to dine-in in our beautiful newly renovated rooms,” said Tim Spencer, First Hotel Operations Director.
Lemala Camps and Lodges welcomes couple, Rich and Tansy Vaughan as new management at Lemala Kuria Hills, Tanzania. The couple have a rich safari background. They met in 2012 in Zimbabwe, got married shortly afterwards and have been working together in the safari industry ever since.
Rich was born in Harare, Zimbabwe, began his safari guiding career in 1994 and obtained his Zimbabwe Professional Guides Licence in 1998. He previously guided in all the national parks in Zimbabwe.
Tansy was born in South Africa and has travelled extensively around Africa, and lived in Tanzania for more than a decade. She has a background in front-of-house operations, in the spa and hospitality industry.
