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Virgin Hotels has announced the executive team appointed to lead its upcoming launches in Edinburgh and Glasgow this year, with the senior team bolstered by largely Scottish talent
This includes Tom Gibson as general manager of Virgin Hotels Glasgow, joining after a six-year spell as general manager of The Glasshouse, an Autograph Collection Hotel in Edinburgh. He brings international experience to the role, having worked in the US, and the UK.
Scott McArdle will be the general manager of Virgin Hotels Edinburgh, bringing over 15 years of international experience working with luxury lifestyle properties. Prior, McArdle was a hotel management consultant working with properties in Africa and South-East Asia, advising on pre-opening strategies and all operational departments.
Additionally, Adam Gray joins as director of people in Scotland from HR roles with Kimpton Hotels and latterly, Cluster Human Resources Manager for YOTEL in Scotland.
Iona Robarts also joins as director of finance. Having worked in hospitality for over 20 years, she was most recently director of finance at the Fairmont St Andrews where she worked for six years, including during its change of ownership and refurbishment.
Meanwhile, Emma Jackson has been appointed regional director of sales, following a 15-year career in the hospitality industry. In her most recent role with IHG Hotels and Resorts, she headed up the sales department for managed estate hotels in Scotland.
In addition, Amrita Makkar joins as regional director of revenue. With an 18-year career in hospitality, she joins from The Standard in London where she was part of the pre-opening team supporting the launch of the brand’s first hotel outside of the US.
Rachel Cullen also joins as regional director of marketing with a 17-year hospitality career spanning operations, sales, events and marketing, and she will oversee the marketing efforts for both Scottish openings.
Bryan Davern, vice president of operations for Europe, said: “We are excited to introduce our new senior team to support the launch of our two Scottish hotels; the first in Europe. Each valuable member brings a wealth of industry and market expertise, as well as enthusiasm for the Virgin brand.”
