Kenton and Leesa Jones

Kenton and Leesa are the newly appointed General Managers at Kasbah Tamadot, responsible for the property's day to day management. Until recently, both were working at Kasbah's sister property, Necker Island, where Kenton held the positions of Activities Director and Operations Manager, while Leesa was Spa Director and Front of House Manager. The couple are settling into life in the Atlas Mountains with their one year old baby son, Theo.

 

 

Did you know?
Kenton's favourite past time is kite-surfing (potentially a challenge on a mountain top!) while Leesa has a huge fear of heights, which makes her decision to work for Virgin Atlantic Airways for five years an interesting one!

Hannah Allen

Hannah is the lucky General Manager of the newest property in Virgin Limited Edition's collection, The Lodge in Verbier. A passionate skier and outdoor junky, Hannah has been with the Virgin Limited Edition family since 2003, having previously worked on Necker Island as a Manager Assistant. Recently married in October 2009, Hannah and her husband Paul are the proud owners of Bam Bam, The Lodge's very own chocolate flat-coat retriever.

 

 

Did you know?
Before working for Virgin Limited Edition, Hannah was a physiotherapist working for the NHS (might come in handy with the skiers after a long day on the slopes!).

Gordon Overing and Nathalie Gingras

It's a hard life being the General Managers of Sir Richard Branson's private island paradise, surrounded by turquoise waters, coral reefs and beautiful white sandy beaches all day... but somebody has to do it! Step up Gordon Overing and Natalie Gingras, who have been General Managers of Necker Island since 2005, responsible for the daily management of the Island, up to 60 wonderful staff and the happiness of Necker's guests. Both originally from Canada, Gordon and Nathalie have worked in the Caribbean for over 20 years and have two beautiful children.
Did you know?
Nathalie swam for Canada in the 1984 Olympics and placed fifth in the Women's 400 Individual Medley event (handy when you live on an Island!) and Gordon has been collecting Royal Albert China since he was 16 years old! (that's quite a collection!).

Karl and Llané Langdon

Karl and Llané have been an integral part of the Ulusaba family since joining the award-winning Private Game Reserve in 2000. Prior to being appointed as Ulusaba's General Managers in 2006, Llané previously held the position of Executive Lodge Manager at Ulusaba while Karl held the position of Head Ranger. The couple are responsible for the day to day management of Ulusaba, comprising of Rock Lodge and Safari Lodge, and over 100 staff. Both were instrumental in establishing Ulusaba's charity arm, Pride n' Purpose, which is committed to the local community and which resulted in Ulusaba recently being awarded the Virtuoso Best of the Best Award for 'Most Socially Responsible Hotel'.

Did you know?
Karl walked from Cape Town to the Sudanese border, at a rate of 30-40 kilometres per day for two years, raising in excess of 2 million Rand for charity!

Jason Goddard

Jason is responsible for the day-to-day management and operation of The Roof Gardens in Kensington, London.

Jason who hails from the sunny shores of Sydney, has a vast background of international experience in hotels, he held a number of General Manager positions in Australia prior to joining The Roof Gardens. Most recently he was the Food and Beverage Director at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London. Jason is married to his English wife Josie and is a proud father of twins.

Did you know?
In his younger days Jason was a cricket superstar for the New South Wales state team.

Jon Brown - Managing Director

Jon joined Virgin Hotels in August 1998 and was Operations Director for 2 years. He was MD of La Residencia in Mallorca before returning as MD for Virgin Hotels in late 2001. Jon has a wide range of experience within the hospitality industry, including positions in general and area management and group roles within Arcadian and Friendly Hotels. His current focus is on the development and expansion of the group.

 

 

Did you know?
Our Jon left staff in fits of laughter after playing air guitar to the Clash at a recent Christmas party. He’s also an avid supporter and season ticket-holder of Manchester United.

Janet Hoolohan - Sales and Marketing Director

Janet's role focuses on the overall Sales & Marketing strategy for the group. Prior to joining Virgin, Janet held senior Sales & Marketing positions within Mandarin Oriental as Director of Sales & Marketing for both Mandarin Oriental and The Ritz Hotels in London. Prior to this she spent six years working for the Orient-Express Group. A graduate of the University of Surrey, Janet has a BSC Honours degree in Hotel & Catering and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

Did you know?
Our fitness fanatic Janet has done the London to Brighton charity bike ride an impressive three times and is also a staunch supporter of Manchester City football club (Jon’s rival club!)

Eleena Broadfoot - Financial and Commercial Director

Eleena joined Virgin Hotels following six years of working for the Virgin Group. Most recently Eleena worked with Virgin Life Care, where she was Commercial Manager and responsible for the corporate finance and commercial development of the business. Prior to this she held the position of Investment Manager at the Virgin Group head office. Prior to joining Virgin, Eleena worked for Guinness GB, which is part of the Diageo Group and Qantas Airways Ltd in Australia in Commercial Strategy. She studied in Australia and has a degree in Accounting and Finance and qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Price Waterhouse in 1995.

Did you know?
Eleena's favourite drink is a Bellini and she'll give you a run for your money on the pool table.

Lyn Weimer - People Development Director

Lyn has been associated with Virgin Hotels since 1995 and has recently taken up the role of People Development Director. Although this is a generalist people role, her focus is on the training and development of our teams. Prior to joining Virgin, Lyn held a number of personnel, training and operational roles in Forte Hotels and she has recently also carried out an HR consultancy role with clients from direct marketing and the charity sector. Lyn holds Hotel Management qualifications and is a member of the Institute of Personnel & Development.

Did you know?
Lyn kept a pet tarantula called Morticia for 12 years and loves to wear anything and everything purple!

Kirsten Falk - Group Operations Manager

Kirsten's newly created role focuses on managing Operations across the collection, as well as assessing new developments worldwide. Kirsten isn't new to the Virgin Limited Edition family... she has been manager at the award-winning Roof Gardens in Kensington, London for the past five years. Prior to joining Virgin, Kirsten managed four and five star hotels across three continents - USA, Africa and Europe.

Did you know?
Kirsten plans to go husky sledding in Scandinavia within the next few years and her dream partner is a South African Ranger with his own wildlife reserve!