New CFO for Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotels

Mark Rhys has made his association with the Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotel Group official as he takes up the position of chief financial officer. Rhys had been working for the group on a consultancy basis for the last three years. Since August last year -- when previous CFO, Rodney Smyth left the Group to run CLSA -- Rhys has done many of the duties of the CFO with the help of Roger Henderson, the group's company secretary.

Asked why he decided to take up a full time position at the group, Rhys replied: "The company made me a very elegant proposal." He reports that he is particularly excited about helping with the financing of a new hotel in Maranouchi District in Tokyo as well as helping the Group improve its overall profitability.

Rhys has been in Hong Kong for 37 years working firstly with KPMG before moving to Mollers. A 10-year stint at HSBC ensued, followed by another 10 years as general manager of finance at China Light & Power, where his association with the Kadoorie family was ignited.

His new role will see him leveraging off many of the relations he built up in his long career in Hong Kong's financial circles. "Mark Rhys brings extensive experience to the company as well as a long history of association with Hong Kong and some of its major corporations," says Pierre Boppe, CEO of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotel Group.