The Ascott Limited has appointed hospitality industry veteran Serena Lim as Chief Growth Officer, leading its global business development team.
Reporting to Ascott’s Chief Executive Officer, Kevin Goh, Lim will be responsible for managing the company’s growth in management and franchise contracts globally, excluding China.
“Serena joins us with over two decades of industry experience, and her wealth of knowledge and experience in establishing long-term owner relations is key for us as we seek new opportunities to extend our geographic reach across key growth markets,” Goh said.
“With her in-depth expertise in building and leading large development teams in global hospitality groups and her track-record in delivering tangible results, I am confident that under her leadership, we will grow the business to new heights of success as we continue the rapid expansion of our property portfolio across all brands over the next few years.”
In her most recent role, Lim led IHG’s development strategy as Vice President, Development, Southeast Asia and Korea at IHG, and implemented initiatives to align culture with strategy and processes. Prior to that she worked with Marriott International as Regional Vice President of Development for Southeast Asia, and she previously worked with Starwood Hotels and Resorts earlier in her career, leading the company’s expansion across Southeast Asia.
Lim said she looks forward to playing a key role in the company’s next stage of growth.
“The pandemic has since brought about a shift in the needs and expectations from asset owners and our priority now is to deepen our engagement with existing owners whilst pursuing added opportunities to establish new owner relations,” she said.
“Ascott’s portfolio of global brands such as Ascott, Citadines, Somerset, lyf and Oakwood caters well to the evolving expectations of guests across both the short and long stay markets. In keeping to the core strengths of each brand spanning our diverse accommodation options including hotels, serviced residences and co-living, we have been able to exercise flexibility in our offerings so as to optimise returns based on market demand.
“With a resilient business model backed by decades of disciplined growth Ascott has established through operational excellence, the ability to drive premium rated business and outperform the market though our robust distribution systems will put us in a highly competitive position that will ultimately deliver the value that our owners seek.”