Saturday Briefing

By Darren Edmonstone

It gives me great pleasure to join Human Resources in announcing the appointment of Michael Cowan as Vice President Operations and Projects, Asia.

Michael Cowan

In this new position, effective February 1, 2009, Michael will be responsible for Outrigger’s operational management and project development throughout Asia. He will based be in our Outrigger Hotels Thailand office, where he will play a significant role in helping drive Outrigger’s expansion across the region. Michael will also help maintain the integrity of the Outrigger brand in Asia with a focus on new ground-up developments involving hotel and residential properties in targeted Asian resort destinations.

As part of Outrigger’s expansion in Asia, Michael will also be responsible for the critical planning of future openings of new Outrigger properties in Asia, staff recruitment, retention, and the quality and standards compliance of all properties. With his immense experience of Asia, Michael will play a vital role in Outrigger’s growth in the region.

Michael, an Australian national, has 20 years hotel experience in Asia. He has held senior executive positions at hotels in Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, China, Maldives, Malaysia, and Australia. Michael has worked with hotel companies such as Banyan Tree, Hyatt International, Renaissance, and Ramada.

Prior to joining Outrigger, he was a Director of the Phuket-based hospitality consultancy company C9 Hotelworks, where he oversaw the planning of numerous mixed-use developments, conducted evaluations of existing hotel operations, and carried out numerous audits and project feasibility studies.

His Asian hotel industry experience includes a particular focus on developing mixed-use resort and residential projects from design to completion and operation.