Swiss hotel firm Kempinski Hotels' new CEO is Barbara Muckermann.
Muckermann joins Kempinksi from Silverseas Cruises — part of cruise-ship company Royal Caribbean Group — where she was the president and CEO. Muckermann started at Silverseas Cruises in November 2016 as its chief marketing officer before assuming the lead executive role.
The leadership change at Kempinski comes six months after an October report in Munich newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung that former CEO Bernold Schroeder would be leaving Kempinski this April. He became CEO in December 2020.
Muckermann, who hails from Germany, is the first female CEO in Kempinski's history. The company was founded in 1897.
In a statement, Muckermann called this appointment “pivotal” in the company's history.
“I am delighted to play an integral role in this incredibly iconic brand’s next chapter while honoring its rich history, and very much look forward to working in tandem with amazing colleagues globally to continue to make the Kempinski name synonymous with individual luxury,” she said.
“Her dynamic, forward-thinking approach will be vital as we continue to usher in a new era of luxury for our brand,” René Nijhof, chairman of Kempinski’s Board of Directors, said in a news release. “As [Muckermann] takes the helm, she will be the first woman in the company’s 127 years of history to lead this iconic brand.”
Kempinski currently has a portfolio of 82 hotels in 36 countries. The Geneva-based firm has a pipeline of 34 hotels. At the end of April, the hotel firm announced its latest addition to its portfolio, the 100-room Kempinski Saigon River, Vietnam, which is due to open by the end of 2026 in collaboration with Vietnamese owner Ecopark Corp.
It will be in the vicinity of the province of Dong Nai, a “45-minute speedboat ride” from Ho Chi Minh City, according to a release on the new hotel.
In other personnel shifts at Kempinski, the company transferred Xavier Destribats — who for the last seven years worked as chief operations officer of the Americas — to its Geneva headquarters in March. Destribats' new title is chief operations officer for Europe and the Americas.
In the same month, Kempinski's Timur Sentuerk started a new role as chief operations officer, Middle East and Africa, in the company’s Dubai office.
In October, Kempinski named a new chief financial officer, Stuart Dickie, who also was elected to the management board. He is a veteran of Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts and Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group.