Abercrombie & Kent Names Michael Wale President and CEO
by Jessica Montevago /Wale joins the luxury tour operator from Kerzner International, owner of Atlantis Resort and Residences.
Luxury hospitality veteran Michael Wale has been named president and chief executive of the Abercrombie & Kent Group, effective October 1, 2020.
After replacing founder Geoffrey Kent as CEO, Amerigo Perasso stepped down from the role in August 2019 after the “transition and integration” from the sale of A&K to Lefebvre d’Ovidio’s Heritage Group was complete. Lefebvre d’Ovidio, who is also Silversea Cruises’ executive chairman, purchased an 85% stake in A&K at the start of the year, and Kent increased his share to 15% -- both men now serve as co-chairmen.
Wale joins the luxury tour operator from Kerzner International, owner of Atlantis Resort and Residences, One&Only Resorts and a handful of other brands, where he has been CEO since February 2018. His career spans almost 40 years with Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, culminating as president of Europe, Africa and Middle East, directly overseeing the operations of 250 hotels and resorts across 60 countries.
“Michael Wale has a remarkable track record of steering leading luxury brands towards unequalled heights,” Kent said in a statement. “We look forward to working with him to elevate Abercrombie & Kent’s profile and achieve even higher standards of excellence.”
Wale will relocate from Dubai to Monaco to head up his new role.
