IHG today announces a number of senior appointments to its Development and Capital Investments & Transactions teams in Europe Middle East Asia & Africa (EMEAA).

In Australasia, Abhijay Sandilya has been promoted to the role of VP Development, Australasia, Japan & Pacific.

Abhijay joined IHG in 2016 and has been extremely successful in driving IHG's long-term growth strategy in Australasia over the past few years, delivering the best year of signings on record in this market.

Australasia and Japan are priority markets for IHG, and Abhijay's appointment reflects its commitment to accelerating its growth in these dynamic and growing markets, providing greater capability and speed to capitalise on new opportunities. He will still be based in Sydney and will continue to be a member of the Australasia & Japan Leadership Team

In light of Abhijay's promotion, Jael Fischer will take on the expanded role of Senior Manager, Development, Australasia & South Pacific. Jael joined IHG in 2018 and has been pivotal in the growth of IHG's system in Australasia, including the rapid expansion of the Holiday Inn portfolio. Her promotion means Jael steps up as the senior Australasia-dedicated developer, with greater responsibility for driving growth across all brands.

At an EMEAA level, Steve Carroll has been appointed as Senior Vice President, Capital Investments & Transactions, EMEAA and Greater China, with immediate effect.

In this new role, Steve will be responsible for asset management, including dispositions, restructurings and actively managing investment positions, with a focus on our Europe, Middle East, Asia & Africa (EMEAA) & Greater China regions. He will continue to work closely with IHG's development teams to drive growth through our strategic approach to M&A and capital transactions, as well as IHG's Americas team, to take advantage of cross regional opportunities and capital flows. 

Promoted from VP, Global Capital Investments & Transactions, Steve will be relocating to IHG's global headquarters near London, UK, and will retain his current global coordination remit for growing our most recently acquired luxury brands, Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas and Regent Hotel & Resorts. He will join both IHG's Global Finance, Procurement & Strategy and EMEAA Leadership teams.

Steve has been with IHG for more than five years, having re-joined the business in 2014 as Vice President Corporate Finance, Acquisition and Mergers. Originally based in Singapore, Steve moved to Atlanta in 2017 with an expanded remit to enhance strategic growth initiatives in the Americas. Steve has worked on numerous global strategic initiatives, including the acquisition of top-tier luxury brands Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas (2019) and Regent Hotel & Resorts (2018), thereby expanding IHG's luxury estate. Steve also led the 2015 sale and rebranding of the InterContinental Hong Kong, which will become a Regent hotel in 2021.

Steve is no stranger to the Australian market. Before re-joining IHG, he spent a combined 10 years as Regional Director at LaSalle Investment Management in Singapore and as Investment Manager for The GPT Group in Sydney, investing in hospitality assets across Australia and Asia. Steve is a graduate of Macleay College, Sydney and the Australian Graduate School of Management.