International luxury hotel operator, Langham Hospitality Group has appointed Floria Wun as the Director of Public Relations (International). In her new capacity, Floria Wun will oversee public relations for the group in the U.S., U.K., Australia and New Zealand. Wun will play a pivotal role in developing and driving public relations strategy to strengthen Langham as a luxury hospitality brand in the international arena, and continue to enhance the profiles of the group’s portfolio of brands.
Sherona Shng, Vice President – Communications and Public Relations said: “As we continue to grow our footprint in the global market, Floria is instrumental to leverage our public relations strategy and effort to go from strength to strength on regional and global levels.”
Wun came from strong luxury hospitality background with experiences in Hong Kong and China in the past 10 years. Prior to joining Langham, Wun was Director of Public Relations with a luxury hotel brand based in Beijing and held a regional position with another international luxury hotel brand on the onset of her career.
Langham Hospitality Group
The Langham Hospitality Group "The birth of a legend" is a term not many entities can genuinely lay claim to with authority and integrity. In the case of Langham Hospitality Group, however, this epithet is well deserved, as the roots of this family tree reveal an impeccable pedigree that is historically significant to the international hospitality industry. From the day the first Langham Hotel opened in 1865, it astonished Victorian London with the scope of its luxury, technology and grandeur. The hotel also presented many world firsts, on unprecedented scales and always with elegance and grace. We take the best from our heritage and move forward into the future as our rapidly expanding portfolio now spans four continents, covering major gateway cities both in the East and the West. Owned by the Great Eagle Group, the Langham Hospitality Group continues to captivate discerning travellers with its unique and dynamic hotels brands, building great travel experiences around the world.
Sherona Shng, Vice President – Communications and Public Relations said: “As we continue to grow our footprint in the global market, Floria is instrumental to leverage our public relations strategy and effort to go from strength to strength on regional and global levels.”
Wun came from strong luxury hospitality background with experiences in Hong Kong and China in the past 10 years. Prior to joining Langham, Wun was Director of Public Relations with a luxury hotel brand based in Beijing and held a regional position with another international luxury hotel brand on the onset of her career.
Langham Hospitality Group
The Langham Hospitality Group "The birth of a legend" is a term not many entities can genuinely lay claim to with authority and integrity. In the case of Langham Hospitality Group, however, this epithet is well deserved, as the roots of this family tree reveal an impeccable pedigree that is historically significant to the international hospitality industry. From the day the first Langham Hotel opened in 1865, it astonished Victorian London with the scope of its luxury, technology and grandeur. The hotel also presented many world firsts, on unprecedented scales and always with elegance and grace. We take the best from our heritage and move forward into the future as our rapidly expanding portfolio now spans four continents, covering major gateway cities both in the East and the West. Owned by the Great Eagle Group, the Langham Hospitality Group continues to captivate discerning travellers with its unique and dynamic hotels brands, building great travel experiences around the world.
Management Team
Experience and vision for over 140 years
Dr. Lo Ka Shui, GBS JP
Chairman & Managing Director, Great Eagle Holdings Limited
Executive Chairman, Langham Hospitality Group
Dr. Lo was born in Hong Kong on February 19, 1947. He graduated in 1970 from McGill University in Canada, with B.Sc. in Biophysics, and in 1974 graduated from Cornell University with M.D. in medicine. Dr. Lo was trained and specialized in Internal Medicine and Cardiology, and did research in Nuclear Cardiology during his fellowship at the University of Michigan Hospital in USA until 1979. Dr. Lo is married and has four children.
On his return to Hong Kong, Dr. Lo joined the Board of Great Eagle Group (1980 - now) and is now the Chairman and Managing Director, and he is the Executive Chairman of the Langham Hospitality Group (2003 – now). He is also the Chairman and non-executive Director of Eagle Asset Management (CP) Limited (Manager of the publicly listed Champion Real Estate Investment Trust) (2006 – now).
Among his other public and civic positions, he acts as a Vice President of the Real Estate Developers Association of Hong Kong, a Trustee of the Hong Kong Centre for Economic Research, and a Board Member of the Hong Kong Airport Authority. He was formerly a Director of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (1992-2006) and was Chairman of the Listing Committees of both the Main Board (1992-1996) and Growth Enterprise Market (1999-2003). Dr Lo was also Chairman of the Hong Kong Hospital Authority from 2000 to 2002.
He is a non-executive Director of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited, Shanghai Industrial Holdings Limited, Phoenix Satellite Television Holdings Limited and China Mobile (Hong Kong) Limited, besides other well-known Hong Kong corporate entities.
Dr Lo has received a number of awards in recognition of his varied contributions to Hong Kong’s business and civic sectors: in 2003, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region conferred on him one of its highest honours, the Gold Bauhinia Star. In 2005, Dr Lo was named “Hotelier of the Year” at the Asia-Pacific Hotel Industry Conference, and received the “Hong Kong Business Person of the Year” award from DHL/SCMP. The following year, he was cited as “Travel Entrepreneur of the Year” by Travel Trade Gazette.
Mr. Brett BUTCHER
Chief Executive Officer
Mr Butcher's international hospitality management experience spans 30 years, covering various leadership roles across Asia-Pacific and the USA. With a reputation for expertise in sales and marketing, hotel start-up operations and Total Quality Management, he is responsible for the overall strategic direction and development of Langham Hospitality Group.
Leveraging the distinguished heritage of Langham with the needs and preferences of today’s discerning travellers, he leads over 5,000 colleagues on four continents, focusing on quality, innovation and sustainable growth.
Mr Butcher joined Langham Hospitality Group in 2002 as Managing Director of Eaton Hotel Hong Kong and the 665-room Mongkok district development later known as Langham Place Hotel. Under his leadership, Langham Place, Mongkok, Hong Kong won the gold champion award from The Hong Kong Management Association for its Total Quality Management deployment.
He then moved into Vice President roles for Sales & Marketing, Branding as well as Langham Place Worldwide Operations, serving as an integral part of the team that launched Langham Hospitality Group on the world stage in 2005.
Mr Butcher started his career in 1980, after graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Hospitality Management from QAC (now known as the University of Queensland, Gatton College) in his native Australia. His first role in the business was as a trainee manager for a well-known hotel chain in Boston, Massachusetts. He remained with the company for 18 years, rising through its ranks from various hotel executive positions to Asia-Pacific regional roles, eventually becoming a Hotel Managing Director and Area Manager.
In April 2009 he became the CEO of Langham Hospitality Group.
Ms. Sharon CHENG
Vice President - Human Resources
Ms Cheng has over 20 years of experience in hospitality-sector human resources management.
Her professional background includes a wide range of projects related to organisational changes, human resources development, implementation and execution.
Ms Cheng directs the human resources strategies and systems of the group.
Mr. Andrew JESSOP
Vice President Development (Worldwide)
Mr. Jessop has over 26 years of hospitality experience working for luxury hotel groups in Thailand, Australia and China. He has participated in five property openings, three of which were in the upscale branch of The Luxury Collection. He has also led other two 5-star hotels' Brand Steering Committee. Mr. Jessop was formally Regional Vice President– Asia who was responsible for the hotel operations and new hotel openings in Asia.
As Vice President Development (Worldwide), Mr. Jessop leads the Development teams of International, North America, China and Asia & Middle East regions, spearheading the business expansion worldwide.
Mr. Eric LUK
Head of Finance and Legal
Mr Luk is a finance specialist with more than 20 years of experience in group and regional financial control as well as hotel acquisitions.
His areas of expertise include financial planning, management and control, as well as business management.
Mr Luk is in charge of the hotel project analysis, researches, legal and finance function and works closely with the Holding Company, Great Eagle Holding, on hotel investment opportunities. He works on the alignment of financial strategy, planning, business management, and controls across the growing number of hotels and assets in the Langham Hospitality Group portfolio.
Mr. Simon MANNING
Vice President – Sales and Marketing
Simon is a seasoned hotel professional with more than 22 years of sales and marketing experience in luxury hotel groups. His experience includes assignments in North America, Middle East and Europe and for the last 16 years in Asia Pacific.
Before joining us, Simon was the Regional Vice President of Marriott International, responsible for operating revenues of 75 hotels worldwide. Under his leadership, Ritz Carlton had been successfully expanded from 3 to 18 hotels in Asia Pacific region while also launching different sub brands such as BVLGARI Resorts, Ritz Carlton Residences and Ritz Carlton Reserve.
With his extensive experience in sales and marketing, Simon will lead the team to deliver promising revenues and market share growth for Langham Hospitality Group.
Ms. Katie BENSON
Regional Vice President – Europe and North America
Ms. Benson has more than 30 years of hospitality experience and has held executive positions at luxury hotels in Middle East, China, Australia and United Kingdom.
As Regional Vice President – Europe and North America, Ms. Benson oversees the existing properties in North America and spearheads the group’s future development strategically in the USA and Europe. In addition, she serves as Managing Director of The Langham, London, and has successfully relaunched and repositioned Langham’s flagship hotel to be one of Europe’s premier hotels.
Ms Benson has been Australian Hotelier of the Year, holds an MBA and is a member of The Institute of Company Directors U.K and Australia.
Mr. Lo YOUNG
Regional Vice President – China, Macau, Taiwan
Mr. Young has over 28 years of hospitality experience spanning from food & beverage, rooms and operations gained from well-known international hotels group in various major cities like Hong Kong, Macau, Taipei, Singapore, Guangzhou and Tianjin.
His former regional responsibilities included supporting over 50 hotels under a number of brands covering China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan and Korea. He also served as Regional VP - South China where he oversaw more than 30 hotels operations in China, supporting hotel openings, re-branding, and managing owner relationships.
He returned to Hong Kong in 2009 after more than 5 years in Shanghai. His most recent role was VP – Operations for a Hong-Kong based hotel management group.
As Regional Vice President – China, Mr. Young will leverage his extensive China experience to lead the rapidly growing hotels operations for all Langham Hospitality Group brands in China.
Mr. Bob VAN DEN OORD
Vice President - Brands
With a career that has spanned 20 years on three continents - North America, Europe and Asia - Mr. van den Oord brings a wealth of internaional expertise and global knowledge to the role of brands.
He has served Langham Hospitality Group in various leadership capacities for a decade. His most recent role in the group was Vice President - Sales & Marketing where he had brought innovation and creativity in positioning and developing the sales and marketing direction and strategies.
With the new appointment as Vice President - Brands, Mr. van den Oord defines and translates The Langham, Langham Place, Eaton and 88 Xin Tiandi brands into daily hotel operations. This includes the development and implementation of consistent brand standard across all Langham hotels.
Ms. Sherona SHNG
Vice President – Communications and Public Relations
Ms Shng is an accomplished communications specialist with over 17 years’ experience in international communications and media. She has distinguished herself in both the hospitality and television industries in Asia, and is currently in charge of developing Langham Hospitality Group’s marketing communications strategies.
In addition to overseeing the Group’s public relations campaigns and ensuring effective communication with the media (press and electronic), she is responsible for managing the Group’s advertising and integrated marketing campaigns. Ms Shng also oversees the development and presentation of the corporate identities of all the Group’s brands through all its marketing materials.
Dr. Lo Ka Shui, GBS JP
Chairman & Managing Director, Great Eagle Holdings Limited
Executive Chairman, Langham Hospitality Group
Dr. Lo was born in Hong Kong on February 19, 1947. He graduated in 1970 from McGill University in Canada, with B.Sc. in Biophysics, and in 1974 graduated from Cornell University with M.D. in medicine. Dr. Lo was trained and specialized in Internal Medicine and Cardiology, and did research in Nuclear Cardiology during his fellowship at the University of Michigan Hospital in USA until 1979. Dr. Lo is married and has four children.
On his return to Hong Kong, Dr. Lo joined the Board of Great Eagle Group (1980 - now) and is now the Chairman and Managing Director, and he is the Executive Chairman of the Langham Hospitality Group (2003 – now). He is also the Chairman and non-executive Director of Eagle Asset Management (CP) Limited (Manager of the publicly listed Champion Real Estate Investment Trust) (2006 – now).
Among his other public and civic positions, he acts as a Vice President of the Real Estate Developers Association of Hong Kong, a Trustee of the Hong Kong Centre for Economic Research, and a Board Member of the Hong Kong Airport Authority. He was formerly a Director of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (1992-2006) and was Chairman of the Listing Committees of both the Main Board (1992-1996) and Growth Enterprise Market (1999-2003). Dr Lo was also Chairman of the Hong Kong Hospital Authority from 2000 to 2002.
He is a non-executive Director of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited, Shanghai Industrial Holdings Limited, Phoenix Satellite Television Holdings Limited and China Mobile (Hong Kong) Limited, besides other well-known Hong Kong corporate entities.
Dr Lo has received a number of awards in recognition of his varied contributions to Hong Kong’s business and civic sectors: in 2003, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region conferred on him one of its highest honours, the Gold Bauhinia Star. In 2005, Dr Lo was named “Hotelier of the Year” at the Asia-Pacific Hotel Industry Conference, and received the “Hong Kong Business Person of the Year” award from DHL/SCMP. The following year, he was cited as “Travel Entrepreneur of the Year” by Travel Trade Gazette.
Mr. Brett BUTCHER
Chief Executive Officer
Mr Butcher's international hospitality management experience spans 30 years, covering various leadership roles across Asia-Pacific and the USA. With a reputation for expertise in sales and marketing, hotel start-up operations and Total Quality Management, he is responsible for the overall strategic direction and development of Langham Hospitality Group.
Leveraging the distinguished heritage of Langham with the needs and preferences of today’s discerning travellers, he leads over 5,000 colleagues on four continents, focusing on quality, innovation and sustainable growth.
Mr Butcher joined Langham Hospitality Group in 2002 as Managing Director of Eaton Hotel Hong Kong and the 665-room Mongkok district development later known as Langham Place Hotel. Under his leadership, Langham Place, Mongkok, Hong Kong won the gold champion award from The Hong Kong Management Association for its Total Quality Management deployment.
He then moved into Vice President roles for Sales & Marketing, Branding as well as Langham Place Worldwide Operations, serving as an integral part of the team that launched Langham Hospitality Group on the world stage in 2005.
Mr Butcher started his career in 1980, after graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Hospitality Management from QAC (now known as the University of Queensland, Gatton College) in his native Australia. His first role in the business was as a trainee manager for a well-known hotel chain in Boston, Massachusetts. He remained with the company for 18 years, rising through its ranks from various hotel executive positions to Asia-Pacific regional roles, eventually becoming a Hotel Managing Director and Area Manager.
In April 2009 he became the CEO of Langham Hospitality Group.
Ms. Sharon CHENG
Vice President - Human Resources
Ms Cheng has over 20 years of experience in hospitality-sector human resources management.
Her professional background includes a wide range of projects related to organisational changes, human resources development, implementation and execution.
Ms Cheng directs the human resources strategies and systems of the group.
Mr. Andrew JESSOP
Vice President Development (Worldwide)
Mr. Jessop has over 26 years of hospitality experience working for luxury hotel groups in Thailand, Australia and China. He has participated in five property openings, three of which were in the upscale branch of The Luxury Collection. He has also led other two 5-star hotels' Brand Steering Committee. Mr. Jessop was formally Regional Vice President– Asia who was responsible for the hotel operations and new hotel openings in Asia.
As Vice President Development (Worldwide), Mr. Jessop leads the Development teams of International, North America, China and Asia & Middle East regions, spearheading the business expansion worldwide.
Mr. Eric LUK
Head of Finance and Legal
Mr Luk is a finance specialist with more than 20 years of experience in group and regional financial control as well as hotel acquisitions.
His areas of expertise include financial planning, management and control, as well as business management.
Mr Luk is in charge of the hotel project analysis, researches, legal and finance function and works closely with the Holding Company, Great Eagle Holding, on hotel investment opportunities. He works on the alignment of financial strategy, planning, business management, and controls across the growing number of hotels and assets in the Langham Hospitality Group portfolio.
Mr. Simon MANNING
Vice President – Sales and Marketing
Simon is a seasoned hotel professional with more than 22 years of sales and marketing experience in luxury hotel groups. His experience includes assignments in North America, Middle East and Europe and for the last 16 years in Asia Pacific.
Before joining us, Simon was the Regional Vice President of Marriott International, responsible for operating revenues of 75 hotels worldwide. Under his leadership, Ritz Carlton had been successfully expanded from 3 to 18 hotels in Asia Pacific region while also launching different sub brands such as BVLGARI Resorts, Ritz Carlton Residences and Ritz Carlton Reserve.
With his extensive experience in sales and marketing, Simon will lead the team to deliver promising revenues and market share growth for Langham Hospitality Group.
Ms. Katie BENSON
Regional Vice President – Europe and North America
Ms. Benson has more than 30 years of hospitality experience and has held executive positions at luxury hotels in Middle East, China, Australia and United Kingdom.
As Regional Vice President – Europe and North America, Ms. Benson oversees the existing properties in North America and spearheads the group’s future development strategically in the USA and Europe. In addition, she serves as Managing Director of The Langham, London, and has successfully relaunched and repositioned Langham’s flagship hotel to be one of Europe’s premier hotels.
Ms Benson has been Australian Hotelier of the Year, holds an MBA and is a member of The Institute of Company Directors U.K and Australia.
Mr. Lo YOUNG
Regional Vice President – China, Macau, Taiwan
Mr. Young has over 28 years of hospitality experience spanning from food & beverage, rooms and operations gained from well-known international hotels group in various major cities like Hong Kong, Macau, Taipei, Singapore, Guangzhou and Tianjin.
His former regional responsibilities included supporting over 50 hotels under a number of brands covering China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan and Korea. He also served as Regional VP - South China where he oversaw more than 30 hotels operations in China, supporting hotel openings, re-branding, and managing owner relationships.
He returned to Hong Kong in 2009 after more than 5 years in Shanghai. His most recent role was VP – Operations for a Hong-Kong based hotel management group.
As Regional Vice President – China, Mr. Young will leverage his extensive China experience to lead the rapidly growing hotels operations for all Langham Hospitality Group brands in China.
Mr. Bob VAN DEN OORD
Vice President - Brands
With a career that has spanned 20 years on three continents - North America, Europe and Asia - Mr. van den Oord brings a wealth of internaional expertise and global knowledge to the role of brands.
He has served Langham Hospitality Group in various leadership capacities for a decade. His most recent role in the group was Vice President - Sales & Marketing where he had brought innovation and creativity in positioning and developing the sales and marketing direction and strategies.
With the new appointment as Vice President - Brands, Mr. van den Oord defines and translates The Langham, Langham Place, Eaton and 88 Xin Tiandi brands into daily hotel operations. This includes the development and implementation of consistent brand standard across all Langham hotels.
Ms. Sherona SHNG
Vice President – Communications and Public Relations
Ms Shng is an accomplished communications specialist with over 17 years’ experience in international communications and media. She has distinguished herself in both the hospitality and television industries in Asia, and is currently in charge of developing Langham Hospitality Group’s marketing communications strategies.
In addition to overseeing the Group’s public relations campaigns and ensuring effective communication with the media (press and electronic), she is responsible for managing the Group’s advertising and integrated marketing campaigns. Ms Shng also oversees the development and presentation of the corporate identities of all the Group’s brands through all its marketing materials.