Millennium & Copthorne Hotels appoints Clarence Tan as CEO
Millennium and Copthorne Hotels has announced the appointment as former IHG vetran, Clarence Tan as its group chief executive officer, with from effect 2 April.
Tan’s appointment follows the privatisation of the company last year, as former CEO Jennifer Fox stood down in 2018, after three months. Tan will be responsible for the turnaround in the performance of M&C’s global hotel portfolio which encompasses 150 hotels and 43,500 rooms worldwide.
He most recently held the position of managing director for South East Asia and Korea at Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG). He began his career at IHG over 16 years ago where he held multiple senior positions including roles in finance, business development and hotel operations across mid-scale, upscale and luxury hotel segments.
From his initial appointment as chief financial officer of Asia Pacific, he undertook regional operations roles in Asia and Australasia, Japan and Korea, South East Asia and Middle East.
Tan said: “The evolving Covid-19 outbreak continues to greatly impact the hospitality industry globally. Amidst the operating challenges and uncertainty, I see a significant opportunity to reshape M&C’s strategies and reposition the business.
“M&C has a distinctive asset portfolio with latent value to be unlocked. I look forward to working with chairman Kwek and the board, together with my M&C colleagues around the world. With teamwork and the right strategies, I believe that we will be able to overcome this difficult period and set a firm foundation to further grow our hospitality business.”
Kwek Leng Beng, executive chairman of M&C and its parent company City Developments (CDL), added, “On behalf of the board, I am delighted to welcome Clarence to the CDL Group.
“As a veteran hotelier with a wealth of international experience in hotel operations, management and finance, his leadership will be critical in navigating M&C through near-term global and macroeconomic challenges, as well as driving portfolio performance enhancements through significant cost-efficiency initiatives and building brand equity.”
He concluded: “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 M&C into a formidable global hospitality group.”
