IHG Appoints Leanne Harwood as the Senior Vice President Global Sales to Strengthen their Hospitality Leadership

IHG Hotels & Resorts names Leanne Harwood as Senior Vice President, Global Sales, putting in place a seasoned professional from the hospitality industry as the leader of its global sales organisation as the hotel company continues to develop its relationships with its customers around the world. Working from Atlanta, Harwood will be in charge of the Global Sales team at IHG and will take responsibility for the strategic development and performance of its sales divisions and regions.

Her new mandate will include growth with key segments of the hospitality business such as corporate, groups, meetings and events. The new appointment is a seasoned professional with over 30 years of experience in the hospitality business, with over 20 years with IHG. With strong international experience in sales and commercial and operations leadership, Harwood has vast experience in a number of different markets.

Leanne Harwood Brings More Than 20 Years of IHG Experience to New Role

Harwood has built a long career within IHG, holding leadership positions across several business functions. Since March 2024, she has served as Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Luxury, Lifestyle & Managed Hotels, Americas. In that position, she has been responsible for the operations and performance of IHG’s luxury and lifestyle hotel portfolio across the Americas.

The role has provided experience in managing a broad collection of premium hotel brands while balancing operational performance with commercial priorities. Her earlier IHG positions have also included responsibilities across sales, commercial and operations in several international markets. This combination of commercial and operational experience provides Harwood with an understanding of how hotel companies can align customer needs with business performance.

Global Sales Role Expands Harwood’s International Commercial Responsibilities

In her new position, Harwood will lead IHG’s Global Sales organisation worldwide. Her remit will focus on developing customer engagement and growth across key sales segments.

These include:

• Corporate travel
• Group business
• Meetings
• Events
• Global customer partnerships

The role places Harwood at the centre of IHG’s commercial relationship with customers across its international hotel network. Global sales are particularly important for hotel groups serving multinational companies, event organisers and group travellers, where relationships can span several destinations and regions. Harwood’s international experience provides a foundation for understanding these different customer requirements.

IHG Gains Global Market Experience From Southeast Asia to Australasia

Harwood’s career has included leadership responsibilities across Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Japan and Australasia, as well as the Americas. Working across such diverse markets has given her exposure to different travel patterns, customer expectations and business environments. International experience is particularly relevant to a global hotel group, where sales strategies must account for regional differences while maintaining consistent commercial objectives.

Harwood’s previous roles have allowed her to work with teams across multiple markets, developing an understanding of both local customer priorities and broader international business requirements. That experience will now be applied to IHG’s global sales strategy.

Customer Engagement Becomes Central to IHG’s Global Sales Strategy

Harwood’s new role will focus heavily on customer engagement, reflecting the importance of long-term relationships within the international hospitality sector. Corporate and group customers often require hotel services across multiple destinations, making global account management an important part of hotel sales.

IHG’s international network gives it the ability to serve customers across different markets, while its Global Sales organisation connects those customers with the company’s hotel portfolio. Harwood will be responsible for driving customer engagement and growth across these segments. Her commercial background and experience leading international teams are expected to support IHG’s continued efforts to strengthen customer partnerships.

Corporate, Group and Meetings Travel Remain Key Global Sales Segments

The new Global Sales role covers several areas that are central to hotel demand. Corporate travel connects IHG properties with companies and business travellers requiring accommodation across different markets. Group travel creates demand from organisations travelling together for business, leisure or other purposes. Meetings and events represent another important segment, linking hotels with conferences, corporate gatherings and other organised events.

Managing these categories on a global scale requires coordination between hotel operations, sales teams and customers. Harwood’s combination of commercial and operational experience provides relevant knowledge for managing these interconnected areas.

Harwood’s Luxury and Lifestyle Leadership Adds Commercial Perspective

Before moving into Global Sales, Harwood led IHG’s Luxury, Lifestyle & Managed Hotels, Americas business.Her responsibilities included overseeing the operations and performance of IHG’s luxury and lifestyle hotel portfolio throughout the Americas. That experience provided direct exposure to the premium hospitality segment and its customer expectations.

Luxury and lifestyle hotels often place particular emphasis on service, brand positioning, guest experience and strong customer relationships. Harwood’s previous role therefore adds another dimension to her commercial background as she moves into the wider Global Sales position.

IHG Leadership Highlights Importance of High-Performing Global Teams

IHG CEO for the Americas Jolyon Bulley highlighted Harwood’s commercial expertise and record of developing high-performing teams. He also pointed to her global experience, strategic perspective and hospitality background as important strengths for leading the Global Sales organisation. Managing a worldwide sales function requires coordination between teams operating across different countries and regions.

Leadership across multiple markets is therefore an important element of Harwood’s experience. Her new role will involve working across IHG’s international business to strengthen customer relationships and support commercial growth.

Atlanta Becomes Base for IHG’s New Global Sales Leadership

Harwood will be based in Atlanta, where she will lead IHG’s Global Sales organisation. The location places her at the centre of the company’s Americas operations while maintaining responsibility for customers and sales teams across international markets. Her remit extends well beyond a single region, reflecting the global nature of IHG’s hotel business. The role will require continued engagement with customers, hotel teams and commercial stakeholders across the company’s network.

Hospitality Leadership Experience Spans Sales, Marketing and Operations

Harwood’s career has included experience across a broad range of hospitality functions. Her leadership background covers:

• Sales
• Commercial strategy
• Hotel operations
• Customer engagement
• Luxury hospitality
• International business management

This range of experience gives her an understanding of how commercial activity connects with hotel performance. It also provides insight into the operational realities behind customer relationships. Her international assignments have further broadened her perspective, enabling her to work with teams and customers in markets with different tourism and hospitality characteristics.

IHG Strengthens Global Customer Partnerships Under New Sales Leadership

This is a big step forward as far as leadership is concerned for the global commercial organization of IHG, since her over 30 years of experience in the field of hospitality, along with over 20 years of service in IHG, make her well aware of the hotel business and its operations in general. Her leadership in a number of geographies including Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Japan, Australasia and the Americas brings in a wider global perspective for the company. As the Senior Vice President, Global Sales for the company, she will be working on improving customer relations and developing the business.