Qatar-based Katara Hospitality has announced the appointment of Christopher RJ Knable as its new chief operating officer.

With global expertise in the areas of hospitality investment, development and operations, Knable brings a unique blend of experience spanning three decades, a statement from the hotel said. Prior to joining Katara, he managed a portfolio of hotels for Kingdom Hotel Investments as vice president of asset management, being instrumental in the successful development and launch of several market-leading properties in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

A US national, Knable is a global hotelier and entrepreneur who earlier in his career worked in operations both in the US and internationally for a number of well-known brands including Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts and The Peninsula Hotels, the statement said.

After several years as a general manager in New York, he transitioned into hospitality investment and development with his own private company where he took principle roles in a number of projects around the world, developing several award-winning hotels including the Rosewood Mayakoba and Elysian Chicago.

In his new role, he will work with the CEO to build on the growing success of Katara Hospitality as a leading global hospitality organisation which aims to own or manage over thirty hotels and resort complexes by 2016 and a further 30 more over the following decade.

“I am delighted to join Katara Hospitality at this moment in time. We are focused on creating and rejuvenating iconic assets around the world in line with Qatar’s renowned tradition of hospitality and I look forward to working with our CEO and management team to build on the success to date as we continue with our programmed growth,” said Knable.

Hamad Abdulla Al-Mulla, chief executive officer, said: “Christopher joins Katara in the midst of a rapid expansion. His blend of international leadership experience along with his proven ability to bridge the disciplines of investment, development, branding and operations is valuable as we pursue our vision going forward.” – TradeArabia News Service