Faculty & Research
Featured Advisory Board Member: Kirk Kinsell
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Kirk Kinsell |
Kirk is President, EMEA and a member of the IHG Executive Committee. In his role, he has responsibility for almost 700 hotels, consisting of over 113,000 rooms and operating under six IHG brands as franchised, managed and owned properties. These brands include InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo®, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn® Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express® and Staybridge Suites®.
Under his leadership, IHG has grown market share in core markets while expanding in the high-growth markets of the Middle East and Russia as the leading global hotel company. During his tenure, he has led a strategic review of the region adding capability to owner support and sharing of best practices across the group’s broader regional operating structure.
Before taking up this position on 1 September 2007, he was Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer for IHG in the Americas, responsible for unit growth across all brands and franchise, management contracts and real estate development activities sponsored on behalf of the company. In 2003, Kirk co-led the launch of Hotel Indigo for the group.
In 1995 and 1996, Kirk served as President of the Franchise Division at ITT Sheraton, where he led the creation of the Four Points Hotels concept. In 1997, Kirk became President and COO of Avado Brands Inc., which during his tenure operated more than 220 high-growth branded restaurants. More recently, Kirk served as President and CEO of Micell Technologies Inc. Under Kirk’s leadership, Micell Technologies was recognised as the 2001 Entrepreneurial Company of the Year for North Carolina.
From 1988 to 1995 Kirk served as Senior Vice President of Franchise for Holiday Inn Worldwide, a predecessor of InterContinental Hotels Group. In that capacity he led the launch of Holiday Inn Express.
Kirk holds a Master's of Professional Studies degree from the School of Hotel Administration, Cornell University, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of California, San Diego. Additionally, he completed the Senior Executive Programme at London Business School.