INTERNATIONAL REPORT—Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment, Songy Highroads, Rosewood Hotel Group and Starhotels are all adding to their leadership teams. Here’s a look at the latest roster moves:
Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment Names New COO
Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment (MGE) has named Ray Pineault COO pending regulatory approval. After nearly 20 years of service to the Mohegan Tribe as president/general manager of the brand’s flagship property, Mohegan Sun Connecticut, and most recently as regional president of MGE, Pineault brings legal and business knowledge with him to the role of COO. In this role, Pineault will oversee MGE’s regional presidents to ensure the operational success of each of the nine properties in MGE’s portfolio in the U.S., Canada and South Korea. As COO, Pineault will ensure that each of MGE’s properties around the world meets or exceeds operational, employee engagement, guest service, cultural, strategic and fiscal plans, while maintaining the highest standards of regulatory compliance. Pineault fills the COO position previously held by Michael Silberling, who vacated the position in July.
Songy Highroads (SHR) Promotes Co-Founder Todd Nocerini to President
Songy Highroads (SHR), an Atlanta-based commercial real estate firm, has promoted co-founder Todd W. Nocerini to president. Nocerini will continue to serve as chief operating officer while taking on new responsibilities in his new role. That includes overseeing all of the development, management and leasing of Songy Highroads’ company-owned and third-party properties in North America. Nocerini joined David B. Songy and Perry M. Waughtal in 1994 from Barker-Patrinely Group Inc., and began his career at Cushman & Wakefield in Miami. His experience and expertise in all aspects of property management, leasing and tenant construction made him an appealing partner to both Songy and Waughtal, as they looked to acquire and develop institutional-quality real estate and expand their services to the hospitality sector. In 2010, Songy, Waughtal and Nocerini turned their ongoing joint ventures into what is now SHR.
Rosewood Hotel Group Appoints Jay Wetzel to VP of F&B, Americas
Rosewood Hotel Group has welcomed Jay Wetzel back to the group in the role of VP of food and beverage, Americas. In this position, Wetzel will be responsible for managing all current food and beverage operations in the region, as well as the development of new and evolving programs with an emphasis on creativity and innovation. Wetzel has more than 25 years of experience in the food and beverage industry and returns to Rosewood Hotel Group following a three-year tenure with Virgin Hotels, where he served as VP of food and beverage, creating and operating the food and beverage program. Prior to his time at Virgin Hotels, Wetzel spent six years with Rosewood Hotel Group, joining in 2011 as director of culinary operations in the Hong Kong office and ultimately growing to senior corporate director of food and beverage, where he led the development of food and beverage concepts, with a focus on expansion of operations in the Americas and Europe.
Starhotels Names Francesco Brunetti Managing Director of the Group
Starhotels has named Francesco Brunetti as managing director of the group. Brunetti will work alongside President/CEO Elisabetta Fabri. Brunetti has long-standing experience in the hotel industry, covering complex and prominent managerial roles and achieving results that have established benchmarks in the industry. Prior to joining Starhotels, he held numerous senior management positions in hotel chains including Hilton, ITT Sheraton, CIGA and Starwood, overseeing the merger of the latter with Marriott International.