With the Middle East and Africa (MEA) division of Marriott International, Inc. planning to double its hotels over five years, the company announced Tuesday that Alex Kyriakidis, a top global executive at Deloitte LLP, has been named president and managing director of the division, effective Jan. 1, 2012. Kyriakidis, currently Deloitte's global managing director for Tourism, Hospitality & Leisure, will be based in Dubai. With 33 hotels in 10 countries, the MEA division is poised for major growth: approximately 40 hotels are in Marriott's hotel development pipeline in the region and plans include significant new development in sub-Saharan African markets. Fluent in Arabic, English and Greek, Kyriakidis will lead Marriott's team in the MEA, one of the company's four continental operating divisions.
