Four Stellar Industry Veterans Join the Atmosphere Team!
Saturday 5th of March 2022
Four important and essential leadership positions have been filled to support the ambitious development plans of a dynamic and ever-fast-growing hospitality company, Atmosphere Hotel & Resorts (AH&R).
The strategic onboarding of top talent to its senior leadership team includes Michel Politano as VP Revenue & Distribution, Sarah Walker Kerr as VP Communications, Ashley Goddard as Corporate Culinary Director, and Silvia Collepardi as VP Sales & Marketing for COLOURS OF OBLU & By Atmosphere.
They all come from some of the finest hospitality brands across the globe and will help AH&R take its three brands, THE OZEN COLLECTION, COLOURS OF OBLU, and By Atmosphere, to alluring leisure destinations in India, Bhutan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.
Corporate Culinary Director - Ashley Goddard
Ashley's new role will be to elevate the brand's reputation through refined dining experiences throughout all of Atmosphere's wide range of resorts. HE will also be mentoring and developing culinary teams, enhancing Food and Beverage experiences, and contributing to the launching of our new openings and projects in the current pipeline.
During his successful career spanning over 30 years, this Australian Chef & Culinary Entrepreneur has worked with some of the leading international hospitality companies, immersing in cultures across the globe. Having been a part of different cultures has enriched Ashley’s palette for life – allowing him to develop world-class culinary teams, in numerous countries and throughout reputed hotels and resorts. “I believe raising both the perception of our guests, as well the expectation of a truly memorable dining experience, we are lucky to touch so many people and bring the Joy of Giving,” says Ashley Goddard.
VP Sales & Marketing for COLOURS OF OBLU & By Atmosphere - Silvia Collepardi
Silvia will be focusing mainly on strengthening the brand's positioning in key feeder markets across the globe and developing new markets.
Hailing from the beautiful Vine Country known as Italy, Silvia joined AH&R in 2018 as Regional Director of Sales Europe. She offers a wealth of expertise which she gained over 16 years of sales and marketing experience. Such experiences include senior positions at international brands like Centara Hotels & Resorts. Her love for oceans has inspired Silvia to focus her expertise on promoting dream destinations and beautiful resorts in the Maldives, Thailand, and Bali, with a passion for pre-opening and business development.
Vice President Revenue & Distribution - Michel Politano
As one can already guess from the name, French hailing Micheal will be working towards maximizing revenue, enhancing channel connectivity and profitability, and optimizing online presence, traffic acquisition, and conversion.
He has over 15 years of unmediated experience, which allows him to excel in implementing unique and highly effective market strategies, successfully entering new markets, and providing value-based leadership.
The most recent position he held was at Emaar Hospitality Group, where he set up and grew the entire distribution ecosystem (spanning 20+ hotels across 4 brands) and contributed to organizational growth by leading change management of cluster structure.
Vice President Communications - Sarah Walker Kerr
With her appointment, UK-born Sarah has already begun her work to steer the company’s communication strategy with a focus on promoting brand distinction. She has over 20 years of international experience and is now more than well adept at setting up and managing globally integrated communication programs that drive guest engagement, elevate corporate identity and build brand equity.
Her most recent position was at Marriott International, where she was in a similar position and achieved positive awareness (externally and internally) and brand distinction. As part of this role, she set up a fit-for-purpose communications organization across complex geography of 30 countries. She was ranked among the Top 25 ‘Most Influential Communicators in the Middle East’ by PR Week UK.
Salil Panigrahi, Managing Director Atmosphere Hotels & Resorts said “As we prepare for our next phase of expansion, we are thrilled to welcome such outstanding talent to our senior leadership team. I am eager to see how their depth and breadth of collective experience will help us drive brand distinction, foster culinary excellence, elevate our reputation, reach new markets and unlock our immense growth potential.”