Kuoni Appoints Bernard Martyris as Group Chief Human Resources Officer

Bernard Martyris, Chief of Human Resources of VFS Global, has been appointed Group Chief Human Resources Officer of Kuoni Group, the 109-year-old Switzerland-headquartered multinational travel service provider.

Kuoni Group is VFS Global’s parent company and one of the world’s leading travel services companies.

In this role, Mr. Martyris is responsible for the overall group’s HR strategy, leadership development, and talent and performance management. Mr. Martyris joined VFS Global in 2004 and led the corporate HR function of Kuoni Group on an interim basis from 2013 till the beginning of 2015.

He will be based in Dubai from where he will concurrently continue in his current VFS Global role.

This move comes as part of amendments made to the management structure of the Kuoni Group as part of the accelerated implementation of the group’s strategy. As part of this strategy, the three divisions of Kuoni Group will be made more autonomous and accountable for their respective businesses.

Mr. Martyris has over 35 years of experience in handling human resources and over two decades of experience in the hospitality industry. He has held long standing senior management positions at the Oberoi Group and at the Taj Group of Hotels. Through his association with the Tata Group, Mr. Martyris also served as an independent director on the board of Tata Coffee in 2003.

On the international front Bernard was the first Indian HR professional to be invited to join the HR Council of the Conference Board of USA, which includes the top HR professionals of Fortune 500 companies. Additionally between 2007 and 2009, Mr. Martyris held the position of Chairman of the HR Committee of the Bombay Chamber of Commerce.

Mr Martyris graduated from Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI) in 1976.