Thailand’s Chiva-Som has announced Vaipanya Kongkwanyuen will take over as its new general manager, following the departure of Sheila McCann after five years. He will be the resort’s first Thai GM.
Kongkwanyuen’s has previously worked at Chiva-Som, some 24 years ago, as head of food and beverage during the report’s pre-opening phase in 1994.
More recently he has headed up the high-end Aman Resorts Group, where he was closely involved in the pre-opening of resorts in Lijiang and Beijing in China: the Amandayan and Aman Summer Palace. Kongkwanyuen has also been involved in the pre-opening of the Four Seasons Thailand and has experience in food and beverage, sales, marketing and strategic planning.
“Mr. Kongkwanyuen has an exemplary background in the hospitality industry and I look forward to him continuing his success with us,” says Krip Rojanastien, chair and CEO of Chiva-Som. “His Thai heart will be core to driving Chiva-Som’s unique wellness service forward to enable us to remain at the top of the industry.”
