New GMs for Peninsula Hotels in Paris and Bangkok

The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited (HSH), a Hong Kong-listed company and owner and operator of the Peninsula Hotels, has appointed Mr. Nicolas Beliard as General Manager of The Peninsula Paris (effective 1 January 2013), and has promoted Ms. Katja Henke to be General Manager of The Peninsula Bangkok (effective 27 December 2012).

Mr. Clement K.M. Kwok, Chief Executive Officer of HSH, said, "Mr. Beliard brings with him a wealth of experience in managing luxury hotels. He will lead The Peninsula Paris in its opening and will drive a number of exciting initiatives that we will put in place ahead of the hotel's launch in 2013. Ms. Henke has a proven track record in luxury hotels, which will be crucial to ensuring the continued success of The Peninsula Bangkok. I wish to congratulate both of them on their promotions."

Aged 46, Mr. Nicolas Beliard is a French national and is currently General Manager of The Peninsula Bangkok. He will be transferred to The Peninsula Paris as General Manager on 1 January 2013.

Mr. Beliard joined HSH in 2009 as Resident Manager of The Peninsula Hong Kong. In May 2010, he was promoted to be General Manager of The Peninsula Bangkok.

Born in France and educated in the USA, Mr. Beliard possesses a Bachelor of Arts degree from Princeton University, a Master of Business Administration degree from Crummer Graduate School of Management and a Master of Management in Hospitality degree from the Cornell School of Management.

He began his career in St. Tropez, France and progressively took on senior positions with international luxury hotels, including the Four Seasons hotels in New York, Paris, the West Indies and Geneva, The Waldorf Astoria and The Pierre hotels in New York, as well as Mandarin Oriental hotel in Miami.

In his new capacity, Mr. Beliard will be overseeing the launch of the 200-key Peninsula Paris, HSH's tenth Peninsula hotel and the first Peninsula hotel in Europe, which is due to open in late 2013.

Aged 42, Ms. Katja Henke is a German/Swiss national and is currently Hotel Manager of The Peninsula Shanghai. She will be promoted to General Manager of The Peninsula Bangkok, effective 27 December 2012.

Ms. Henke joined HSH in May 2011. She received her education in Germany and attended a hospitality school, the Schweizerische Hotelfachschule Luzern in Switzerand. Her international career has taken her to Switzerland, France and England, before moving to the USA to work for Relais & Chateau where she held the position of General Manager at their Lenox, Massachusetts property. Before joining HSH, Ms. Henke was Hotel Manager at the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington DC and subsequently, the Beverly Wiltshire hotel in California.

Ms. Henke will be taking over from Mr. Nicolas Beliard to manage the 370-key Peninsula Bangkok.

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