Michael Wale has been named President & Chief Executive Officer of the Abercrombie & Kent Group by Geoffrey Kent and Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio, co-chairmen, effective October 1, 2020. He joins the luxury travel company from Kerzner International, the owner of Atlantis and One & Only Resorts, where he was CEO. Before joining Kerzner, his career spanned almost 40 years with Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, culminating as President for Europe, Africa & Middle East, directly overseeing the operations of 250 hotels and resorts, for its ten brands, in 60 countries.
“With Michael, Abercrombie & Kent will start an exciting new chapter,” explained Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio. “When guests book a holiday with us, they know we will guide them to amazing places, but the destination is a given. What they expect from us – and what keeps them coming back – is how we go the extra mile. Michael’s extensive experience in guest services and operations will take what A&K is known for to the next level.”
Geoffrey Kent added, “Michael Wale has a remarkable track record of steering leading luxury brands towards unequalled heights. We look forward to working with him to elevate Abercrombie & Kent’s profile and achieve even higher standards of excellence.”
Mr Wale is currently based in Dubai and will be relocating to Monaco. He will continue his association with Kerzner International as he joins the Board of the company.
“I am thrilled to be joining the team at Abercrombie & Kent at this pivotal time in the company’s history,” said Wale. “I have travelled with A&K before and understand its distinctive approach to luxury experiential travel. I also look forward to working with Geoffrey and Manfredi, two titans of the travel industry, to build a bright future for our guests, partners and staff.”
Abercrombie & Kent is the world’s leading luxury and adventure travel company. Founded by Geoffrey Kent and his parents in 1962 as the first luxury safari outfitter, A&K’s award-winning travel services now extend around the globe to more than 100 countries on all seven continents. The company’s unparalleled network of more than 55 local offices insures an unwavering commitment to service—with the unquestioned best in expert guides, luxurious accommodations, safety standards, and thoughtfully-designed itineraries. Recent innovations include Wings Over the World, regional journeys in Africa, India, the Middle East, Europe and South America that combine the advantages of luxury small group travel with the comfort of privately-chartered flights, as well as a collection of handcrafted small group journeys in Australia and New Zealand – an outback air safari in South Australia and in New Zealand, cycling in the Nelson Tasman region and outdoor adventure in the fiordlands.
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