Lawyer Michael Wakefield appointed as Corporate Counsel for IHG's Middle East and African operations

InterContinental Hotels Group has appointed Michael Wakefield as corporate counsel for its Middle East and African operations.

With a passion for the Middle East, the lawyer – who studied languages at St. Andrews University in Scotland and spent a gap year in Egypt teaching – will work closely with the group’s executive team to ensure the continual growth of the operation.

InterContinental Hotels Group currently has more than 70 InterContinental, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn properties across the UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Kenya, Eritrea, Zambia and Gabon.

As InterContinental Hotels Group’s corporate counsel for the Middle East and Africa, Wakefield will draw on the regional knowledge he has accumulated during his 10 years in the industry.

“As a lawyer, it is wonderful to have the opportunity to work for InterContinental Hotels Group. With a history in the oil industry, the hotel sector is going to represent a new challenge for me – but I am ready to take on any work that the business deems fit to throw at me,” said Wakefield.

Having graduated from St. Andrews University in 1992, Wakefield then spent a year teaching in Egypt before studying law at the UK’s Nottingham Law School from 1993 to 1995. After graduating, Wakefield spent a year working as a paralegal in Dubai before completing his training with a law firm based with offices in both London and Oman.

When qualified, Wakefield began working in Dubai as a corporate lawyer. In 2001, Wakefield took his first in-house corporate position for a major oil company operating in the Gulf.

See other recent news regarding: InterContinental Hotels Group