Peter Gowers, right, chief
marketing officer of InterContinental Hotels Group, has been tapped
to become the chief marketing executive of IHG’s Asia-Pacific
region, replacing Singapore-based Pat-rick Imbardelli, who resigned
in late June after it was discovered he had lied about his academic
qualifications.
The truth was revealed during a routine
background check following Imbardelli’s appointment to a position
on the hotel chain’s board that would have taken effect July 1.
According to several news reports (which IHG would not confirm),
the background check was prompted by an anonymous telephone call
from a whistle-blower.
Imbardelli, 46, claimed to have a
Bachelor of Arts in business studies from Victoria University in
Australia, a Bachelor of Science in hotel administration from
Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., and a Masters of Business
Administration, also from Cornell. While he did attend classes at
both institutions, he did not graduate from either.
Imbardelli, who joined IHG in 2000, was
tapped to head the chain’s Asia-Pacific interests in 2003. He was
named Hotelier of the Year for 2006 at the 10th Asia Pacific Hotel
Investment Conference just one month prior to his departure. Tony
South, IHG’s senior vice president of development and asset
management, Asia-Pacific, is now the acting chief executive of the
region.
IHG’s news comes just two months after
Steven Heyer, CEO of White Plains, N.Y.-based Starwood Hotels &
Resorts Worldwide, abruptly resigned following a company
investigation of his alleged personal misconduct with a female
employee.
Gowers assumes his post on Nov. 1.