Britain’s Millennium & Copthorne Hotels on Tuesday named Jennifer Fox as its new chief executive effective June 19 to replace Aloysius Lee, who resigned last January.
Fox was most recently president of Toronto-based Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, a role she had held since 2011. She has also held senior positions at InterContinental Hotels Group, including the role of Europe chief operating officer.
Her appointment at M&C comes a few months after a US$2.84 billion takeover attempt by Singaporean magnet and M&C Chairman Kwek Leng Beng was blocked by minority shareholders.
Fox will also be faced with the challenge presented by Brexit in the UK, which has led to climbing labor costs and falling occupancy rates.
Tan Kian Seng, who has served as M&C’s interim CEO since Lee’s departure, will remain with the company as chief of staff.
“I am delighted to welcome Jennifer to the group as our chief executive officer,” Kwek said. “She has had an illustrious and long career in the hospitality industry. With her strong leadership and in-depth sales, marketing and branding background, she will play a critical role in repositioning our key hotels, uplifting brand awareness of the group, as well as improving the overall performance of our portfolio.”