Appointment

 Asata has
appointed
travel and
tourism
industry
expert,
Nivashnee
Naidoo, as
its new Professional Project
and programme manager.
Her new role will combine the
existing roles of programme
manager and gm. “I would
like to thank Kim Koen and
Monique Diez for their hard
work and unwavering support
in building the foundations
on which Asata will build its
future efforts,” said ceo, Otto
de Vries.
 Taj Hotels Palaces Resorts
Safaris recently announced
the appointment of Mark
Wernich as gm of Taj Cape
Town. Puneet Chhatwal, ceo
of Taj Hotels Palaces Resorts
Safaris, comments: “We are
confident Wernich is the right
person to take Taj Cape Town
forward and are excited to see
how he evolves its already
strong offering. His depth
of experience, honed over a
stellar career spanning 25
years, will bring immeasurable
value to our special Cape
Town hotel.”
 Seychelles President
Danny Faure has announced
a Cabinet reshuffle, with a
reduction in the size of the
Cabinet, that sees Didier
Dogley appointed Minister of
Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports
and Marines.
 Travelport has appointed
Damian Hickey as md of
agency commerce for EMEA
following the departure of
Rabih Saab earlier this year.
Damian will take up the role
from June 1 and relocate
to Travelport’s Langley, UK
base from Singapore, where
he currently oversees the air
commerce business in the
Asia-Pacific region. Damian
has been at Travelport
since 2012 in a number of
leadership roles. He is a
graduate of Trinity College,
Dublin and has worked in the
travel technology sector for
over 20 years.
 Conni Lyners has been
appointed gm for BON Hotel
Swakopmund in Namibia.
She was born and raised in
the country, then went on to
achieve a Diploma in Hotel
and Tourism Management,
and a Diploma in Strategic
Marketing Management. Conni
started as a waitress at the
Novotel London Heathrow,
followed by work in various top
hotels across the globe.