Sandeep Walia has been appointed as the Chief Operating Officer of Marriott International for the Middle East, effective July 1. The appointment has been made following the retirement of the current Chief Operating Officer Guido De Wilde. As a part of his new role Walia will be responsible for Marriott International’s 146 operating hotels across the Middle East, as well as Egypt and Turkey, representing 21 hotel brands across ten countries.

In his new position, Walia will work to drive the company’s recovery across the Middle East and grow its presence across the region. Walia completed his studies in hospitality at the Indian Institute of Hotel Management and the Oberoi School of Hotel Management. A lifelong student, he obtained his Executive MBA from Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management in 2017.

Speaking on the appointment, Satya Anand, President EMEA, Marriott International, said that it gives him great pleasure to announce that Sandeep has taken up the new role. He mentioned that with a career spanning several operational and leadership roles across multiple regions around the world, Sandeep brings extensive hospitality experience, strong relationships with the region’s ownership community, and comprehensive knowledge of hospitality.