DUBAI—Jumeirah Group, a luxury hotel company and a member of Dubai Holding, has appointed Shafi Syed as group chief development officer and Yousef Tuqan as the new group VP of brand marketing and loyalty.
Syed brings more than 25 years of development expansion experience across diverse hospitality sectors, including hotels and branded real estate, in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. In his new role, he will head the development team and lead the group’s development strategy.
Syed joins Jumeirah Group from Trump Hotels where he was regional VP of development and acquisitions. He previously held senior positions in development and operations at Wyndham in London and Dubai, and Taj Hotels in India.
“Shafi takes up his role at an important time for Jumeirah Group. Since 2011, Jumeirah has doubled its portfolio of properties and Shafi is tasked with continuing this impressive momentum. He has a solid track record for driving development success for luxury brands,” said Stefan Leser, CEO, Jumeirah Group. “In addition to managing our existing development pipeline, his strong relationships with private and institutional investors will further support the Group’s drive for accelerated growth.”
Yousef has more than 20 years of experience in the region gained working for a number of major regional and international brands, including leading the Jumeirah digital account team 15 years ago during his time with OgilvyOne Middle East.
Following stints at OgilvyOne and with north55, Yousef spent nearly 10 years as CEO of Flip Media, the Middle East’s leading digital agency, before the agency was acquired by Publicis and then subsequently integrated into Leo Burnett. During his tenure, he worked with Emirates, Emaar and Nakheel. Yousef saw the growth of this business from a small boutique team of 20 to a staff of more than 150 based in eight offices throughout the GCC.
“Having worked with Jumeirah early on in my career I have always admired this iconic, homegrown global brand. I’m incredibly excited to be given the opportunity to lead the Jumeirah brand’s evolution,” said Yousef.