From left side: Chetan Patel, Thorsten Ries, Nigel Harris, Duncan Webb, Peter Henley, Robert Rijnders, M.L. Suravut Thongtham, Simon Allison, Suresh Menon, Chatchawarn Lauruengtana

ONYX Key People

ONYX is driven by a team of dedicated management professionals with decades of international industry experience. The heart and soul of the company, the leaders of the ONYX family are inspired by a true passion for hospitality backed by the strength of global experience.

  • Peter Henley – President & CEO
    Mr. Henley has extensive experience in the fields of asset management, business development, and operations. His international acumen spans the world, from London to Australia, where he has held various senior management positions. Mr. Henley brings more than 28 years of knowledge in the real estate and hospitality industries to the executive team of ONYX.
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    Previously, Mr. Henley was a Vice President of Morgan Stanley Properties UK Limited based in London, where he was responsible for the asset management of hotel interests in Europe. Mr. Henley has held key leadership positions for Raffles Hotels and Resorts, based in Singapore, and Holiday Inn Worldwide, where he was responsible for all aspects of the group’s operations in Australia.

    Mr. Henley’s experience and passion for the hospitality industry is the foundation of ONYX’s aspirations. 
  • Thorsten Ries – Executive Vice-President and Chief Operations Officer
    Mr. Ries has a broad range of expertise in the operations field with an emphasis on implementing strong corporate growth strategies. His career, which spans more than 20 years, includes numerous executive positions at leading multinational hospitality organisations. Mr. Ries is responsible for driving ONYX’s corporate strategy and ensuring its alignment with the company’s core philosophy.
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    Formally, Mr. Ries has held key leadership positions, including General Manager, Area Manager, and VP for Ritz-Carlton Eastern Europe, Four Seasons and Marriott hotels, in Europe, America, and the Middle East. Mr. Ries was also area Vice President and General Manager of Ritz-Carlton, Berlin, responsible for Moscow, Istanbul, and Wolfsburg.

    Mr. Ries will drive ONYX’s strategic business initiatives across the company’s brand portfolio, in addition to implementing a leaner business structure.

  • Simon Allison – Executive Vice-President and Chief Development Officer
    Mr. Allison has worked across the spectrum of hotel company development as a banker, broker, and Chief Financial Officer. He has extensive experience in restructuring management agreements, hotel property investments, and acquisitions. Mr. Allison’s career spans more than 20 years and he brings a skill set essential to the broadening of the ONYX portfolio.  
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    During his time as CFO of hotel real estate investment company Hospitality Europe BV, Mr. Allison oversaw two private equity placements, numerous debt-raisings and a series of acquisitions which saw the company’s asset base double. From 2005 – 2009, Mr. Allison served as Chief Financial Officer of Six Senses Resorts and Spas, raising close to US $100 million of corporate and asset-based debt and equity and also assisting in the negotiation of  management agreements across the world, in locations as far afield as Spain, the Americas and the Indian Ocean.

    Alongside his primary role as Chief Development Officer and EVP of ONYX Hospitality Group, Mr. Allison will remain Chairman of HOFTEL, the leading association of hotel real estate firms, whose members own close to US $20 billion of hospitality properties.

    Mr. Allison will lead ONYX’s ambitious expansion plans across the Asia-Pacific region.

  • Duncan Webb – Executive Vice-President and Chief Marketing Officer
    Mr. Webb has made significant contributions to ONYX Hospitality Group, including the development of new markets in Russia, China, India, and the Middle East. He was also vital in successfully opening 11 Amari properties in highly competitive and new destinations across Thailand.
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    Mr. Webb has held a number of senior positions within the company, including Vice President of Sales & Marketing and Director of Sales. During the course of his 20 years at ONYX, Mr. Webb has been a key figure in the establishment of new departments, including e-commerce, the press office and advertising studio, and the spa division.

    In his current role, Mr. Webb is responsible for marketing, public relations and brand management and tasked with leading a corporate rebranding exercise and communication of new brands to both the trade and consumer markets. 
  • Thaveerut Charupatanapong – Executive Vice-President, Chief Financial Officer
    Ms. Charupatanapong has a wide breadth of experience in financial management, investment, and development. Her career encompasses more than 26 years of international experience in the United States and Asia. Ms. Charupatanapong, a highly accomplished, results driven professional, brings a skill set aimed towards increasing portfolio value in development, real estate, and F&B retails.
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    Before joining ONYX, Ms. Charupatanapong held key leadership positions with Starwood Hotels and Resorts, Minor International, and McDonald’s Thailand, where she was Director of Finance & Business Development, responsible for overall operations of finance, IT, legal, business development and construction.

    Ms. Charupatanapong’s unique background in finance and proactive approach to asset management is the driving force behind the expansion of ONYX.

  • Nigel Harris – Executive Vice-President, Chief Projects & Product Development Officer
    Mr. Harris, a trained architect, brings to his role over 25 years of senior management experience in hotel, commercial and consultancy companies throughout the Asia-Pacific region. His experience in the hospitality industry within the region is extensive, and includes senior regional roles with Shangri La Hotels and Holiday Inn Worldwide.
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    Prior to joining ONYX Hospitality Group, Mr. Harris was the Vice President of Technical Services for Hilton International for the South Asia region, where he was responsible for establishing an independent technical and design support function for owners and the development team in the roll out of multi-brand hotels throughout India.

    Mr. Harris is an integral part of ONYX Hospitality Group’s expansion plans with a focus on the profiling of new brands and supporting project and development activities.

  • M.L. Suravut Thongthaem – Senior Vice-President of Sales
    M.L. Suravut has played an integral role in spearheading the sales initiatives both domestically and internationally for ONYX Hospitality Group. His career began in 1987 as Business Development Manager and over the past 23 years he has positioned ONYX as one of the leading domestic hotel management companies in Thailand.
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    With close to 100 people in his Thailand based sales team and a network of global sales representatives, M.L. Suravut’s key responsibilities include driving the sales strategies across all international markets as well as streamlining key sales policies.

    M.L. Suravut aims to enlarge ONYX’s customer base, with a vision to expand recognition globally by continuing to work closely with his well-established industry partners.  
  • Robert Rijnders, Senior Vice-President, Operations
    Mr. Rijnders has worked with the Amari Group for 20 years and was most recently General Manager of the Amari Atrium Bangkok. Prior to this, he was General Manager of the Amari Coral Beach Resort in Phuket and Orchid Resort in Pattaya.


  • Kunchit Hanafee – Senior Vice President, Information Technology
    Mr. Hanafee has extensive practice in the Information Technology field with over 22 years of experience working for major hospitality providers. Mr. Hanafee has successfully implemented complex Information Technology strategies on both the property and regional levels.
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    Prior to joining ONYX Hospitality Group, Mr. Hanafee was Regional Director of IT for Starwood Hotels and Resorts, overseeing operations in Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia. Mr. Hanafee was also Director of IT for the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit and a number of other properties throughout Thailand.

    Mr. Hanafee’s experience and breadth of knowledge is the technological foundation for ONYX’s ambitious expansion plans.

  • Chetan Patel – Vice-President of E-Commerce
    Mr. Patel has in-depth experience across a broad spectrum of online marketing and communications platforms. During a career of more than eight years, he has garnered an excellent understanding of the ever changing internet travel landscape and is able to skillfully incorporate the latest developments into current business practices.
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    Mr. Patel previously held the position of Vice President - Operations at Mono Travel Co. Ltd, which operates PassionAsia.com and HotelThailand.com. His many accomplishments at ONYX Hospitality Group include winning Google Southeast Asia’s 2009 advertising Campaign of the Year.

    In his role within ONYX Hospitality Group, Mr. Patel oversees a team that manages all aspects of the organisation's e-commerce initiatives, from search engine optimisation (SEO), to OTA relationship management, web development, content management, internet marketing, web based CRM, and social media.

    Mr. Patel heads up ONYX's E-Commerce department with the objective of maximising the potential of this critical channel.
  • Ferdinand Trinidad – Vice-President, Pre-Opening
    Mr. Trinidad has extensive experience in numerous operational roles with several renowned hotel groups in Asia including Shangri-La, The Peninsula and Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group.
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    A native of the Philippines, Mr. Trinidad began his hospitality career at the Hyatt Regency Manila. In 2004, Mr. Trinidad moved to Thailand to join Minor Hotel Group Ltd as Resident Manager and then Pre-Opening General Manager for Minor’s Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas. He was then appointed to the corporate role of Group Director of Technical Service and later, Group Director of Hotel Openings & Operation Support.

    In his role at ONYX, Mr. Trinidad will ensure a comprehensive support platform for the pre-opening stages of all properties within the group’s portfolio of brands.

  • Stefan Wolf – Vice-President, Revenue Management
    Mr. Wolf has extensive experience in developing global revenue management strategies, operations, and implementing revenue management infrastructure. His hotel career began in operations at a leading hotel in Korea before joining Marriott International in 1996 in reservations and revenue management at the Marriott Hotel in Hamburg.
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    He then continued for more than 15 years in key revenue management positions for several leading hotel groups including InterContinental Hotels Group, Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts and the Jumeirah Group.

    Prior to joining ONYX, Mr. Wolf set up the revenue management infrastructure for Rocco Forte Hotels as their Group Director of Revenue Management & Distribution.

    At ONYX, Mr. Wolf will use his expertise to build a revenue management culture and to ensure the success of revenue management for ONYX and the properties under the group’s portfolio of brands.

  • Chatchawarn Lauruengtana, Vice-President, Information Technology


  • Elaine Young - Executive Director, ONYX North Asia
    Ms. Young has extensive experience in the hospitality industry and is the co-founder of the boutique serviced apartment brand, Shama. Following ONYX’s acquisition of the Shama brand in 2010, Ms. Young joined as Executive Director to drive development and operations of all ONYX brands in North Asia.
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    Among her many accomplishments, Ms. Young was previously presented with the prestigious 'Entrepreneur of the Year Award’ by RBS Coutts and Financial Times' "Women in Asia Awards 2009", securing her formidable status as a business success story in the region.

    With her breadth of expertise, Ms. Young will drive the operations of all ONYX brands including Saffron, Amari, Shama and Ozo to strengthen their position in North Asia.

  • Kenneth Sorensen - Vice-President of Operations, ONYX North Asia and General Manager OZO Wesley Hong Kong
    Mr. Sorensen has a wealth of experience in operating hotels in Asia and Europe. Having held several leadership roles in Sales & Marketing and Operations, Mr. Sorensen will drive the transformation of ONYX’s inaugural property under the OZO brand.
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    Prior to joining ONYX Hospitality Group, Mr. Sorensen led the hospitality division of Pacific Century Premium Developments Limited, a renowned Hong Kong based real estate developer whose portfolio includes the Four Seasons Tokyo. A graduate of Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne, Mr. Sorensen held key positions at Swissotel Hotels and Resorts and Hilton International.

    In addition to spearheading the opening of OZO Wesley Hong Kong, Mr. Sorensen will be responsible for Operations for ONYX’s North Asia division in Greater China.

  • Tommy Lai – Vice-President, Development for ONYX North Asia
    Mr. Lai has a wide spectrum of experience in financial management, development and investment. In a career that spans more than 15 years, he has built a strong understanding of real estate in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and China. Mr. Lai is responsible for overseeing the development and expansion strategies of ONXY Hospitality Group in North Asia.
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    Prior to joining ONYX Hospitality Group, Mr. Lai held several leadership positions including heading the marketing and business development team for the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City project. Based in the Shanghai office, he will be responsible for growing and expanding ONYX Hospitality Group's foothold in North Asia.