OUR JOURNEY SO FAR

Simon Coombs brings an invaluable depth of knowledge and regional expertise to the Shaza enterprise. A highly motivated and determined individual, he brings a very particular and distinguished skill to Shaza - that of establishing and growing businesses from the ground up. Simon is the man who has genuinely done it all before. His position before joining Shaza as President and CEO was as Executive Vice President and CFO at Kempinski.

Prior to his appointment at Kempinski, Simon spent 16 years with Hyatt International in various positions linked to development, tax planning, corporate, and hotel finance. Most recently, he held the Hong Kong based position of Vice President of Finance for the Asia Pacific region.

Using this wealth of experience, and his fluency in the business language of the region, Simon is instrumental in the development and expansion of the Shaza brand. Since taking the helm of Shaza Hotels in 2010, Simon had dedicated his efforts to creating the Shaza’s brand from the ground up, with the objective of bringing a completely unique luxury brand to the market. His vision is to establish a distinct and sincere organisational culture that will be reflected in every hotel under operation, in terms of both service style and design concept.

Simon holds Honours Degrees in both Economics and Strategic Planning from Leeds University in England.

Sanjiv Malhotra as Executive Vice President is responsible for nurturing the concept and development of the brand as well as making it an operational reality.

Graduating with honours in Commerce and Business Management, he specialised with a Post-Graduate in Hotel Management. Sanjiv also read at Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne in Switzerland and Cornell University, Ithaca for courses in Food & Beverage, General Management and Leadership.

With more than 27 years in the luxury Hotel industry, Sanjiv’s previous role was Regional Vice President for East Africa with Kempinski and before then with Oberoi Hotels India, Australia and Egypt. A seasoned hotelier, he is motivated to guide Shaza Hotels to its next stage, understanding that a brand is only as strong as its distinctiveness and the resolve of its people. He is focused to create memorable guest experiences, enhanced by design and delivered by caring, empowered, motivated team members.

Shaji Abu Salih leads the Sales, Revenue and Marketing strategies for Shaza Hotels. He is responsible for the pre-opening locational research, setting the opening strategies and revenue plans for the new hotels. Once the hotels are open he oversees the key account management of all hotels, matrix contracting and relationship management.

Shaji has been a part of the Shaza family since 2009, prior to which he spent several years with Kempinski, he also holds an MBA of Rheims University.

Ihab El Haddad provides the design direction created in a bespoke manner for each location, curated to the market segments of the hotel. He is responsible to implement the Technical Guidelines of the brand in conjunction with the Owners, Consultants and Contractors.

A Bachelor of Architecture, PMP Certified, Ihab has over 15 years of experience with design firms such as HOK, HBA, and GMA.

Franck Descat as Director of Finance for Shaza Hotels, is responsible for corporate finance, driving hotels' financial performance, implementing the company's internal control, systems implementation, hotel's pre-opening budgets, and tax compliance.

A CMA certified professional, Franck holds two bachelor degrees in Finance and Accounting Information Systems from Fordham University and Skema Business School. As a member of the Shaza Family for the past 8 years, he has a very good understanding of the brand and all areas of the organisation.