Jolyon Bulley has been named IHG Americas CEO, taking over the position from Elie Maalouf, who was promoted to the role of IHG Group CEO, effective July 1. Maalouf’s promotion follows Keith Barr’s decision to step down after leading the company for the past five years. Bulley had been CEO for the Greater China region and the group’s Transformation Lead for Luxury & Lifestyle.
A member of IHG’s executive committee, Bulley has been the CEO for Greater China since 2018. Previously, he was the COO for the Americas region from 2014 to 2017.
His new position will be effective from July 1, and he will relocate to Atlanta, where IHG’s U.S. headquarters are based.
“I am proud to have the opportunity to lead our Americas business alongside our many talented colleagues and in partnership with our hotel owners. I have worked in the hospitality industry my entire career and I’m looking forward to building on Elie’s legacy in the region, remaining focused on capitalizing on strong owner and guest demand for our amazing brands and our attractive enterprise platform,” Bulley said.
Bulley has held many executive roles at IHG, which he joined in 2001. As the CEO of Greater China, he was in charge of accelerating growth and driving profitability of IHG’s second-largest market. Before that, as COO for the Americas, he led the region’s operations for franchised and managed properties, strengthening owner relationships and hotel operating performance.
Bulley held the same role as COO for Greater China, during which he was in charge of new hotel openings and owner relations. During this time, he launched IHG’s HUALUXE brand in China, the industry’s first-ever brand designed especially for Chinese domestic travelers, and spearheaded IHG’s China Ready program, which offered services like Mandarin-translated menus, green tea and slippers to Chinese travelers staying at IHG hotels in the Americas region.
“Jolyon is returning to the Americas business where he has a proven track record of supporting the growth of IHG’s largest region. When he was COO, he redesigned and strengthened how we work with and deliver for our hotel owners. Over the last five years, Jolyon has guided Greater China through the pandemic and into the recovery, further strengthened our owner relationships and continued to grow the business at pace. I am pleased to be able to move into the Group CEO role knowing that Jolyon will further strengthen the Americas leadership team,” said Maalouf.
Barr announced his retirement from IHG on May 5 to spend more time with his family in the U.S. Barr said it was “the right time for him and his family to return to the U.S.” after living abroad for “a long time.” Barr lived in the U.K., where IHG’s headquarters are based, and in previous positions with the company, he also lived overseas. He succeeded Richard Solomons and has served as the CEO of Greater China from 2009 to 2013.
“Jolyon has made an enormous contribution to the success of IHG over his more than two decades in the business, including holding senior roles in our two biggest markets. His appointment as Americas CEO demonstrates IHG’s commitment to invest in our leaders’ development potential, our robust succession planning and a continuation of our existing growth strategy for the Americas region,” Barr said.