United Airlines announced today the appointment of Sidney Kwok as director, Greater China. In this role, Mr. Kwok will oversee all of United’s passenger operations and service in both mainland China and Hong Kong. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Kwok was United’s director in mainland China.

Mr. Kwok has more than 30 years of experience in the airline industry. He joined United Airlines in 1998 as business manager and division controller, Pacific South in Hong Kong before he was appointed general manager, China in November 2000. During Mr. Kwok’s tenure as general manager in China, United Airlines was voted the “Best American Airline Serving China” three times by Business Traveller China from 2005 to 2007.

“The Asia-Pacific region has always been key to United’s growth and within this region, mainland China and Hong Kong are two very important markets,” says Mark Schwab, Vice President, Pacific, United Airlines. “Our recent introduction of United’s new, luxurious First Class Suite and Business Class cabin to Hong Kong, and eventually, to China, is testimony to our commitment to listen to what our customers say and give them what they want.”

In his current position, Mr. Kwok will be responsible for devising and implementing strategies to further strengthen United’s position as a leading transpacific carrier in Hong Kong and mainland China. Moreover, he will continue to play an instrumental role in fostering commercial relationships with Star Alliance members in mainland China including Air China and Shanghai Airlines.

“With more services between China and the U.S. than any other U.S. carrier, United has always been a key facilitator of culture and commerce between these two great nations. United also makes possible these exchanges with the U.S. for our southern China passengers through our daily services from Hong Kong to U.S. destinations," said Sidney Kwok, director, Greater China, United Airlines. "We are committed to continue investing in Hong Kong and mainland China to deliver even better products and services to our customers.”

United operates daily nonstop services between Beijing and Washington D.C.; Beijing and Chicago; Beijing and San Francisco, Shanghai and Chicago; Shanghai and San Francisco, Hong Kong and Chicago as well as Hong Kong and San Francisco. From Hong Kong, United operates daily nonstop services between the territory and Ho Chi Minh City, as well as between Hong Kong and Singapore.

Mr. Kwok is a native of Hong Kong and a graduate of the University of Hong Kong.

Ketchum Greater China, the Asia Pacific division of top-ten global public relations agency Ketchum and a member of the Omnicom Group, today announced the appointment of Ross Hughes as General Manager, Ketchum Shanghai. Hughes will immediately take over Ketchum Shanghai’s leadership role from Penny Burgess, who will remain to support Ketchum in a consulting capacity.

Ross Hughes brings to Ketchum over a decade of experience working in public relations in Greater China and Asia. His diverse knowledge and track record cover both in-house public relations roles and consulting for corporate communications, financial PR, public affairs and technology PR. Hughes is also well versed in crisis communications and media training and he will be responsible for providing strategic counsel to clients and driving growth for Ketchum Shanghai.

“Ross’ depth of experience in corporate and technology communications as well as his knowledge of Asian markets will be tremendous asset in helping clients overcome challenges in this highly competitive landscape. He will play a significant role in consolidating Ketchum’s leadership in Greater China,” said Kenneth Chu, Partner and Chief Executive Officer, Ketchum Greater China.

Prior to joining Ketchum, Hughes was with The Hoffman Agency as General Manager China. When he was in his role as the Hoffman General Manager Hong Kong, he was responsible for managing all aspects of the business and regional client accounts including Google and Dassault Systems.

“I’m very excited to be part of the Ketchum Greater China family as it’s renowned in the region for its excellent blend of local and international expertise and its ability to deliver sound counsel in China’s increasingly multicultural and multifaceted society,” Hughes said.

Hughes graduated from Griffith University in Brisbane with a BA degree in Modern Asian Studies in 1990. Hughes studied Chinese in Taiwan and is conversant in Mandarin.

Sun Life Hong Kong today announced the appointment of Jeremy Young as Vice President, Independent Sales. In this role, Mr. Young will be responsible for the development of Sun Life Hong Kong’s growing broker/independent financial adviser (IFA) sales. Mr Young will report directly to Roger Steel, CEO of Sun Life Hong Kong Ltd.

“Jeremy brings to us a wealth of experience in broker sales, and will oversee all current and future projects aimed at strengthening our position in this channel,” said Roger Steel, CEO of Sun Life Hong Kong. “These projects will include development of our IFA Fund Platform product, for which Jeremy has assumed immediate responsibility.”

Prior to joining Sun Life Financial, Mr. Young worked for AIG Life New Zealand, where he built sales significantly in his most recent roles as Head of Distribution and National Sales Manager. Prior to joining AIG New Zealand, Mr. Young spent five years as Business Development Manager for Sovereign Assurance, the largest wealth management provider in New Zealand, for which he managed over 100 adviser relationships. Prior to Sovereign Assurance, he was a broker with Summit Financial Group, one of New Zealand’s leading brokerage companies, for three years.

“These are exciting times to be joining Sun Life Hong Kong,” said Mr Young.

“Sun Life has recently made strong progress in developing sales through brokers and independent financial advisers, and I look forward to working with them to realise the full growth potential in this channel,” he added.

Robert Half International is pleased to announce the appointment of a new Director for the company’s Hong Kong office, Andrew Morris. He takes on his new role heading up Hong Kong operations after nearly seven years with Robert Half in Australia. With an exceptional and proven track record of leadership and growth, Andrew now brings his knowledge, expertise and enthusiasm to Hong Kong.

Most recently, Andrew held the position of Senior Manager at Robert Half’s Mount Waverley branch in Australia where he was responsible for establishing the office. Under his guidance the office saw 100% growth and expansion and exceptional staff retention. Andrew was also recognised for outstanding performance amongst Robert Half’s 360 offices worldwide.

During his career Andrew has also spent time in Malaysia, and offers Hong Kong clients and candidates a regional perspective on Asia Pacific recruitment trends.

Commenting on his appointment, Morris said; “Robert Half International is the world’s leading recruitment agency for positions in the finance, banking and accounting fields and Hong Kong is one of the most exciting financial centres on the globe. The Hong Kong office has gone from strength to strength since inception in 2005 and I hope to drive this growth even further. “

Andrew Morris succeeds Andrew Brushfield, who has moved to Melbourne, Australia as Director of their Victorian operations.

Langham Place, Mongkok, Hong Kong is thrilled to announce the appointment of Shaun Campbell as general manager.

Shaun has more than 18 years hospitality experience with extensive management expertise in senior operations, marketing, revenue and food and beverage.

Throughout his career, Shaun has worked with numerous five-star hotel groups including Hyatt International, Marriott International and Mirvac Hotels in Australia, Thailand, Indonesia and India. Prior to joining Langham Place, Mongkok, Hong Kong he was general manager of Hyatt Regency in Kolkata, India.

“My past experience within strong brands, combined with my marketing background, has reinforced the value of committed hospitality to provide a strong basis for guest satisfaction and loyalty. The success that Langham Place, Mongkok, Hong Kong has enjoyed in the competitive market of Hong Kong is no accident. I am excited about joining a very professional, guest focused team and look forward to continuing to grow the hotel’s success and the Langham Place brand. It already feels like a great fit and I am extremely energized about being back working in Asia in such an exciting young brand,” commented Shaun.

An Australian national, Shaun is a business graduate of Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Australia.

Verizon Business has named D. Blair Crump group president worldwide sales, effective immediately.

In this newly created position, Crump oversees the company's enterprise, wholesale, government and education sales efforts worldwide, leading an organization of more than 5,000 sales and support professionals. Verizon Business has 321 offices across six continents and operations in 75 countries. The company serves 98 percent of the Fortune 500 and is the largest provider of communications services to the U.S. federal government.

"We see huge opportunities in helping globally extended enterprises securely communicate with their mobile and geographically dispersed networks of employees, partners, suppliers and customers," said Verizon Business President John Killian. "Integrating our global sales team under Blair's seasoned leadership will ensure the right focus and drive to sustain our global leadership."

Verizon Business generated total 2007 revenues of US$21.2 billion. This year, the company generated total second-quarter revenues of US$5.3 billion, or growth of 0.9 percent compared with last year's second quarter. Sales of strategic services -- such as IP (Internet
protocol) and managed services, including security, as well as Ethernet and optical services -- continued to fuel growth. These services generated nearly US$1.5 billion in revenue, up 18.7 percent from second-quarter 2007.

Since November 2006, Crump has been Verizon Business' senior vice president for international and premier sales – serving the company's top 200 accounts as well as internationally-headquartered customers. In his new role, he will also assume responsibility for all global sales, including all U.S. enterprise, federal and state government, and education accounts, as well as international customers.

Since beginning his career in 1983 as one of the first sales representatives in New York City with MCI, Crump has held positions of increasing responsibilities in sales and marketing and has spent the majority of his career developing commercial successes with large-enterprise customers.

A native of Philadelphia, Crump holds a Bachelor of Science in economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Anita Hou is a director of Forensic and Investigation Services at Grant Thornton. Anita comes with a variety of solid experiences in auditing, listing and investigation work. She handles both local and international enterprises covering a wide spectrum of industries including property investment, manufacturing, trading, retailing, infrastructure and construction. Anita is now specialising in providing services in forensic, investigation and litigation support assignments involving asset tracing and recovery, anti-money laundering investigation and compliance, as well as fraud investigations. She also handles assignments in relation to liquidation, bankruptcy and receivership.

Anita holds an MBA and is a Certified Public Accountant in Hong Kong. She is also a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

Fanny Hsiang is a Partner of Professional Practice of Grant Thornton. She provides advisory services to the Firm's assurance practice and facilitates the proper application of accounting standard requirements.

Prior to joining Grant Thornton, Fanny has accumulated over 15 years of professional experience in international and major
accounting firms.

Fanny has extensive experience in financial reporting related work and researches on topical accounting issues. She specialises in financial reporting support in relation to Hong Kong Financial Reporting Standards (HKFRS), International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and Hong Kong Companies Ordinance requirements.

Fanny is a Certified Public Accountant (Practicing) in Hong Kong.

Luxury hotel operator, Langham Hotels International (LHI) announced today the appointment of Bob van den Oord to the position of Vice-President – Sales & Marketing.

Mr van den Oord will provide strategic leadership and assume overall management of all LHI’s global sales and marketing operations to penetrate and develop key markets. His role includes driving Global Sales, Communications, Customer Relationship Management, Electronic Marketing & Revenue Management.

Eric So, Executive Vice President – Langham Hotels International said: “Bob’s talent, business acumen and track record will evolve our brand, our products and the services as we accelerate our momentum in the international hospitality market."

Bob van den Oord said: "Langham Hotels International enjoys dramatic growth through its complementary brands - The Langham which combines yesterday’s charms with today’s amenities and Langham Place which embodies 21st century living through design and technology. In the last 12 months alone the company has doubled in size to 16 hotels as new owners seek brands with unique propositions that can deliver tangible results on a global scale.

“I look forward to leveraging our brands and building on the current success that LHI has enjoyed to date. We will take this solid foundation and pursue growth opportunities,” he added.

Previously, Mr van den Oord enjoyed a successful track record in senior hotel management roles on three continents – North America, Europe and Asia. Most recently, he led the dramatic repositioning of LHI’s affiliate hospitality brand - Eaton Hong Kong into one of the city’s most exciting four-star properties. Following an US$18 million refurbishment, Mr van den Oord proved it was possible to offer accessible rates with facilities and services that are viewed as unique and distinctive.

Under his leadership, the property achieved rates which were the envy of the competitive set while creating a completely new and different brand identity that has been perceived as both surprisingly fresh and spirited.

Mr van den Oord is a skilled linguist who is fluent in English, Dutch, French and German, and is currently extending his language proficiency in Mandarin.

Estella Tsui is appointed as the marketing director at Grant Thornton effective 1 Oct 2008.
Estella takes charge of the Firm's marketing department and oversees the Firm's integrated marketing initiatives, including branding, communications, publications, PR, events and website. She is also a member of Grant Thornton International's international brand hub team.
Prior to joining Grant Thornton in 2001, Estella has worked with a variety of companies ranging from trading to technology and telecom service to professional service. She has extensive experience in the marketing field especially in the areas of strategic marketing and communications.
Estella holds an MBA degree and majored in Translation in her bachelor degree.