InterContinental Hotels Group, the world's largest hotel operator, announced today that Michael Wakefield has been appointed as corporate counsel for its Middle East and African operations.
With a passion for the Middle East, the lawyer – who studied languages at St. Andrews University in Scotland and spent a gap year in Egypt teaching – will work closely with the group’s executive team to ensure the continual growth of the operation.
Poised for growth, InterContinental Hotels Group is set to reinforce its position as the largest multi-branded hotel operator in the Middle East. As the largest hotel operator in the Middle East, InterContinental Hotels Group has more than 70 InterContinental, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn properties across the UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Kenya, Eritrea, Zambia and Gabon.
As InterContinental Hotels Group’s corporate counsel for the Middle East and Africa, Wakefield will draw on the regional knowledge he has accumulated during his 10 years in the industry.
“As a lawyer, it is wonderful to have the opportunity to work for InterContinental Hotels Group. With a history in the oil industry, the hotel sector is going to represent a new challenge for me – but I am ready to take on any work that the business deems fit to throw at me,” said Wakefield.
Having graduated from St. Andrews University in 1992, Wakefield then spent a year teaching in Egypt before studying law at the UK’s Nottingham Law School from 1993 to 1995. After graduating, Wakefield spent a year working as a paralegal in Dubai before completing his training with a law firm based with offices in both London and Oman.
When qualified, Wakefield began working in Dubai as a corporate lawyer. In 2001, Wakefield took his first in-house corporate position for a major oil company operating in the Gulf.
With a period of growth scheduled for the hotel operator, Chris Moloney, Chief Operating Officer, InterContinental Hotels Group, Middle East and Africa, said: “At InterContinental Hotels Group we have a commitment to employing the very best people for the job and we are thrilled to have such an enthusiastic and accomplished lawyer join the team.”
“Michael fits the bill for what InterContinental Hotels Group looks for when it comes to a corporate counsel and we have full confidence that he will provide a professional service,” continued Moloney.
