InterContinental Hotels Names Kirk Kinsell President-the Americas

InterContinental Hotels Names Kirk Kinsell President-the Americas

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has made a change at the top of its Americas unit, naming Kirk Kinsell, current president of Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) as president of the region. The move follows the resignation of Jim Abrahamson, who has been named CEO of Interstate Hotels & Resorts, which manages 340 properties.

Kinsell, a member of IHG’s executive board since 2010m, will take his new post immediately, reporting to new IHG Chief Executive Richard Solomons. Paul Edgecliffe-Johnson, currently chief financial officer of the EMEA region and head of development for Europe will take over from Kinsell on an interim basis pending the appointment of a successor.

Before his role as IHG president of the EMEA region, Kinsell was senior vice president and chief development officer for IHG in the Americas, responsible for unit growth across all brands and franchise, management contracts and real estate development activities sponsored on behalf of the company. In 2003, he co-led the launch of Hotel Indigo. In 1995 and 1996, he served as president of the franchise division at ITT Sheraton, where he led the creation of the Four Points Hotels concept.