Neil Bald has been appointed CEO of aha Hotels and Lodges. Bald has been Managing Director of the group for the last four years and has 28 years’ experience in the hospitality industry.

Graeme Edmond has been promoted from National Sales Manager to Chief Sales & Marketing Officer at aha Hotels and Lodges. He will be responsible for increasing revenues through managing the people and processes within the sales and marketing department and currently oversees the corporate travel market, inbound tour operators, international agents, domestic, government and the conference market.

Andrew Rogers has been appointed New Business Development Executive for aha. He was previously CEO of the Hospitality Property Fund.

Gerhard Strydom has been appointed Regional Financial Manager based at the Cape Town regional office. He was previously Group Financial Controller at Newmark Hotels. He obtained his Bachelor of Commerce degree from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and his Honours degree from Unisa together with a Post graduate Diploma in Applied Accounting. His 10 years of experience include six years in audit and four in the hospitality sector.

Anees Carrim has been appointed Regional Finance Manager based at the Durban regional office. Carrim was previously Financial Controller at the Tsogo Sun Group. He has a degree in Accounting Science from Unisa and five years’ experience as a financial controller.

Thabang Willie has been appointed Brand Manager for aha. She joins the group from Adapt IT where she was Regional Marketing Manager. Willie has a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing Management from the University of Johannesburg as well as an Honours degree in Marketing from Unisa.

Angeline Marokoane has been appointed PR and Copy Writer within the Marketing Department of aha. She was previously News and PR Manager for East Rand Stereo. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Politics from the University of Johannesburg.

Adriaan Liebetrau, CEO of SAACI, has tendered his resignation and will take up his new role as Tsogo Sun’s Sales and Marketing Manager for the Sandton Convention, Sandton Sun, InterContinental Sandton and Garden Court Sandton City early next year. Liebetrau joined SAACI in May 2014 and ensured the successful roll-out of the SAACI strategy that launched three years ago. He will remain on the SAACI board as a co-opted member.

Bertus and Karien Bezuidenhout have been appointed new management couple for aha Ivory Tree Game Lodge in North West province. The couple have been part of Three Cities Management since 1980, marketing and managing a number of safari lodges. They previously managed Madikwe River Lodge on behalf of Three Cities since 2008.

Shelley Cox will be responsible for steering Great Plains Conservations’ forthcoming Zimbabwe operations, recruitment, and the establishment of a new Victoria Falls office as the new Great Plains Ambassador Zimbabwe.

Cox continues to work in collaboration with the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority on the Joint Marketing Committee to market Zimbabwe.

Sun International has appointed Ismael Kashiku as Market Manager – SADC & East Africa. He re-joins Sun International after a year at Carlson Rezidor. In his new position, Kashiku will be responsible for Sales and Marketing and to drive awareness of the Sun International brand in his markets.

Germaine Esau has been appointed Executive Chef of Dash Restaurant at the Queen Victoria Hotel in the Waterfront, Cape Town. Esau will create a new Dash menu which will be a fusion of classical French dishes with a modern twist, set to launch this month.