General Manager Appointments @ Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels

The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited (HSH), parent company of the Peninsula Hotels, has appointed the following six General Managers.

Corporate General Managers - Based in Hong Kong

Mr. Paul Tchen, General Manager, Operations Planning and Support - from 1 May 2011: Mr. Paul Tchen joined HSH in 1991 with The Peninsula Beverly Hills. In subsequent years, he took on various executive positions within the group and in 2007 he was appointed General Manager, Operations Planning and Support. In 2008, he was appointed to be the first General Manager of The Peninsula Shanghai, with responsibilities for the pre-opening and launch of the group’s ninth Peninsula hotel in 2009. In May 2011, he will return to Hong Kong to once again take on the position of General Manager, Operations Planning and Support.

Born in France, Mr. Tchen is an alumnus of The California State Polytechnic University, Pomona where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management. In 1999, he was named by the University as a Distinguished Alumnus. He was also awarded the prestigious “Young Hotelier of the World Award” in 1996 by the International Hotel Association and Hotels Magazine.

Mr. P.T. Wong, General Manager, Projects Group - from 1 March 2011: Mr. P.T. Wong first joined HSH in 1996 but left in 2002. In 2006, he re-joined the group and was promoted in 2008 to be General Manager, Project Coordination and Technical Services. On 1 March 2011, he was appointed to be General Manager, Projects Group overseeing both the project management and design and planning functions.

Mr. Wong was born in Malaysia and educated in Hong Kong and the UK. He is an alumnus of Imperial College, London and is a Chartered Engineer with the Engineering Council, United Kingdom.

Hotel General Managers

Mr. David Batchelor, Managing Director, The Peninsula Shanghai - from 14 March 2011: Mr. David Batchelor joined HSH in 1994 and served as General Manager of The Peninsula Manila from 2001 to 2008. He was General Manager, Operations Planning and Support from 2008 to 2011, based in Hong Kong. On 14 March 2011, he took on the newly created position of Managing Director, The Peninsula Shanghai, tasked with overseeing the management of the hotel complex including the shopping arcade, Peninsula Residences and Waitanyuan.

An Australian national and a graduate of The University of Adelaide in South Australia, Mr. Batchelor is a member of the Australian Society of CPAs. He possesses extensive experience in the accounting and hospitality industries in Australia, UK, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the Philippines.

Mr. Joseph Chong, General Manager, The Peninsula Shanghai - from 1 April, 2011: Mr. Joseph Chong joined HSH in 2000 as Director of Rooms at The Peninsula Beijing. In 2005, he was promoted to be Executive Assistant Manager, Rooms and soon after that, he was transferred to The Peninsula Bangkok as Resident Manager. In early 2009, he joined the pre-opening team of The Peninsula Shanghai as Hotel Manager and played an instrumental role in the opening of the hotel in October 2009. From April 2011, he will succeed Mr. Paul Tchen as General Manager of The Peninsula Shanghai.

Born and raised in Malaysia, Mr. Chong attained a Diploma in Hotel, Catering and Tourism from France’s Internationale Institute D’Hotellerie Et De Tourisme de Toulouse Pyrenees. He also furthered his studies via the General Management Development Programme from the Kellogg School of Management, The University of Science and Technology in Hong Kong.

Prior to joining HSH, Mr. Chong had worked for the Regent hotels in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia and Four Seasons hotels in Indonesia and Singapore. He is a member of the UK Institute of Hospitality.

Mr. Jonathan Crook, General Manager, The Peninsula New York - from 11 April 2011: Mr. Jonathan Crook joined HSH in 2000 and was appointed Resident Manager of The Peninsula Beijing in November 2005 and Hotel Manager of The Peninsula Tokyo in February 2008. In November 2008, he was promoted to be General Manager of The Peninsula Manila. From 11 April 2011, Mr. Crook will become the General Manager of The Peninsula New York.

Born and raised in the UK, Mr. Crook had lived in Portugal, Zambia, Montserrat and Egypt during his formative years. He attended the Gloucestershire University in Cheltenham, UK where he received a Higher National Diploma in Hotel & Institutional Management. He also furthered his studies via the Executive Development Programme from the Kellogg School of Management, The University of Science and Technology in Hong Kong.

Before joining HSH, Mr. Crook had worked in leading hotels and resort in London, UK and Colorado, USA.

Ms. Sonja Vodusek, General Manager, The Peninsula Manila - from 4 April, 2011: Ms. Sonja Vodusek joined HSH in 2010 as Hotel Manager of The Peninsula New York. She has been promoted to be General Manager of The Peninsula Manila, a role which she will assume from April 2011, taking over from Mr. Jonathan Crook.

An Australian native, Ms. Vodusek received a Diploma in Hotel Management from Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School and a Diploma in Business Management from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.

Prior to joining HSH, Ms. Vodusek had 16 years of experience in the luxury hotels business, working in various executive management positions at Four Seasons hotels in USA, Japan, Ireland, Australia and the Czech Republic.

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