The Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi, managed by Mandarin Oriental appoints a new Director of Commercial Strategy

Sanjeev Shukla joins the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group as Director of Commercial Strategy at Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi (Managed by Mandarin Oriental).

Mandarin Oriental is an iconic global luxury brand with hotels in exceptional locations around the world. Located by a dazzling natural bay, Emirates Palace is the exquisite destination resort offering a pristine private beach and marina. The property brings a new experience of luxury to the heart of Abu Dhabi.

Society was tasked in assisting Mandarin Oriental to appoint a Director of Commercial Strategy for the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi at a transformational period in their journey. The hotel is undergoing a major $150 million refurbishment with launches due throughout 2022. The Director of Commercial Strategy will lead the sales and brand positioning of the Mandarin Oriental flagship hotel in the Middle East.

Society conducted a global executive search for this assignment, finding candidates with experience in rebranding and relaunching iconic properties and who had experience in working with the particular feeder markets for the UAE.

Sanjeev joins the Emirates Palace from a cluster role with the InterContinental Hotel Group in Vietnam. He brings with him a wealth of experience in rebranding and repositioning hotels and also leading excellent teams across the world.  

When asked for comment Sanjeev said:

"It is my privilege to join the iconic Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi, UAE (Managed by Mandarin Oriental) as a Director of Commercial Strategy. Emirates Palace is at a pivotal period in its lifetime as the hotel transitions through a significant upgrade to guestrooms, recreational amenities, as well as new food and beverage facilities in preparation to be rebranded as a Mandarin Oriental property. I am excited to be a part of this journey and look forward to this role with Mandarin Oriental, a company that I have always admired for its service excellence. Thank you to James Lea and the team at Society for their impeccable professionalism and guidance at every step of the way during the entire process of recruitment. James's proactive approach and transparent communication was highly appreciated during the recruitment journey. Thank you to Michael Koth, Geoffrey Web, Joanna Flint and Mr. Christoph Mares at Mandarin Oriental for supporting and accepting my candidature".

We wish he and his family well with settling into life in Abu Dhabi and look forward to seeing the work that he does in his new role at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group.