IHG appoints Peter Gowers as chief marketing officer

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has chosen Peter Gowers for the
newly created role of chief marketing officer (CMO).

Gowers will assume his new position on November 1. Formerly executive
vice president for Global Brand Services for IHG, he was responsible for
the recent brand evolution for InterContinental Hotels and Resorts under
the title 'Do you lead an InterContinental life?' and previous to that
held a number of senior roles within Six Continents PLC.

According to the company, Gowers will direct the marketing of IHG's
seven brands across more than 100 countries, which together produce an
annual turnover of over $10 billion. In addition, he will be responsible
for Priority Club Rewards, the world's largest hotel loyalty scheme with
over 27 million members and will be supported by a total marketing
budget in excess of $450 million.

Andrew Cosslett, chief executive officer,  IHG, said: "As we focus
further on being a manager and franchiser in the hotel industry our
brands become an even more important part of our growth strategy. Peter
brings a combination of strategic thinking with a proven track record in
brand management and will be an invaluable part of our senior management
team."

Gowers said that the hotel business is going through a period of
profound change with brands becoming one of the key focus areas.

"IHG will lead the industry in moving away from traditional hotel
marketing and adopting a more innovative and insightful approach
focusing on brand definition coupled with customer and hotel owner
loyalty," said Gowers.