New leadership appointments at H World and Deutsche Hospitality
04.07.2023 – 16:46
New leadership appointments at H World and Deutsche Hospitality
Oliver Bonke new CEO of H World’s international business division /
Choon Wah Wong new SVP Finance and Managing Director at Deutsche Hospitality
Frankfurt am Main, 4 July 2023 - H World, the shareholder of Deutsche Hospitality, is strengthening its international business division by appointing Oliver Bonke, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Deutsche Hospitality, as CEO of H World International. In his new role, Bonke will focus on the company’s growth and commercial success outside its core market China. He carries these responsibilities in addition to driving the further expansion of Deutsche Hospitality beyond its already strong footing in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Further, Choon Wah Wong is appointed as Managing Director of Steigenberger Hotels GmbH/Deutsche Hospitality and SVP Finance of H World International. In his Managing Director role for Steigenberger Hotels GmbH, Wong will report to the Supervisory Board. His official start date is October 1, 2023.
Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Bender, Chairman of the Supervisory Board at Deutsche Hospitality: “As we navigate Deutsche Hospitality towards a successful future, we are fortunate to combine Oliver’s vast industry knowledge, leadership and intercultural capabilities with Choon Wah‘s sound international and strategic experience in investment, finance and asset management.”
Wong, a Singaporean national, joins the company from Shangri-La International Pte Ltd in London, where he spent the last five years and most recently as Co-Head for the Middle East, Europe, India & America region. This included responsibility for luxury hotel operations, all investment and asset management activities, and developing and implementing a business plan for growth.
“I am excited to round out our leadership team to drive the H World International growth strategy outside China. I have known Choon Wah for many years and have always respected his personal values and deep expertise. Being able to bring a leader of Choon Wah's caliber into the team is a great win for us. We are making large strides towards building an organization that leverages unique strengths to fulfill our ambitions. Digital leadership, engaging brands, operational excellence, win-win owner relationships, and the right team and values to make us stand out,” says Oliver Bonke, CEO of Deutsche Hospitality and H World International.
Wong spent the majority of his more than 20-year long career in the private equity real estate investment sector in Singapore, Hong Kong and China, holding senior roles with Standard Life Investments, Partners Group and APG Asset Management, amongst others. He holds an engineering degree from the University of Cambridge.
Wong is succeeding Dr. Ulrich Johannwille, Deutsche Hospitality’s former Chief Financial Officer and Managing Director, who had decided to leave the company at the end of March.
About Deutsche Hospitality Setting standards since more than 90 years: Deutsche Hospitality delivers outstanding hospitality in over 130 hotels in Europe, Asia and Africa. Eight distinctive brands, ranging from economy to luxury are unified under H Rewards, both seamless booking platform and loyalty program for more than 200 million loyalty members internationally. Deutsche Hospitality is part of Asian-based H World, one of the biggest and fastest-growing hotel groups in the world with a focus on digitization, technology and innovation. Visit deutschehospitality.com for more information and hrewards.com for bookings.
About H World Group Limited Originated in China, H World Group Limited is a key player in the global hotel industry. As of March 31, 2023, H World operated 8,592 hotels with 820,099 rooms in operation in 18 countries. H World’s brands include brands such as Hi Inn, Elan Hotel, HanTing Hotel, JI Hotel, Starway Hotel, Orange Hotel, Crystal Orange Hotel, Manxin Hotel, Madison Hotel, Joya Hotel, Blossom House, Ni Hao Hotel, CitiGO Hotel, Steigenberger Hotels & Resorts, MAXX, Jaz in the City, IntercityHotel, Zleep Hotels, Steigenberger Icon and Song Hotels. In addition, H World also has the rights as master franchisee for Mercure, Ibis and Ibis Styles, and co-development rights for Grand Mercure and Novotel, in the pan-China region.
Press contact Deutsche Hospitality │ Lyoner Straße 25 │ 60528 Frankfurt am Main │Germany Eva Reinecke, Senior Manager Corporate Communications E: eva.reinecke@deutschehospitality.com│T: +49 69 66564-427 www.deutschehospitality.com/en