Chris Newman

Chris Newman is the Executive Director of NEOM Hotel Development, where he is leading a team that is shaping the hospitality ecosystem that supports NEOM’s bold ambitions to accelerate human progress and redefine how we travel, stay and live. A global industry veteran, Chris has 35 years of experience in big picture thinking, commercial and relationship management, as well as people, processes, and talent management, gained in senior positions at leading organizations across the Middle East, Europe, Africa, South America, and the Caribbean. At NEOM Hotel Development, Chris oversees vision implementation and strategy, identifying and driving the selection of operators and pioneering hotel concepts. He is also responsible for the establishment of a future workforce from the Kingdom and beyond, while contributing to the creation of a world-class tourism sector at NEOM and its regions – THE LINE, Oxagon and Trojena. Prior to NEOM Hotel Development, Chris served in a variety of executive roles on large-scale hospitality projects for leading international brands, including Emaar Hospitality Group, Starwood Hotels & Resorts and Le Méridien. Over almost four decades, he has accumulated wide-ranging expertise, specializing in creating sustainable operation models for greenfield ventures, such as pre-opening support and developing protocols to maximize revenue and profitability for established projects. In addition to spearheading cultural change and complex reorganizations, Chris has also championed several corporate social responsibility initiatives. He is a graduate of the Westminster School of Catering in London and is certified in Hotel Real Estate Investments and Asset Management by Cornell University, New York.