Paul Van Frank appointed Managing Director of Frégate Island Private (Seychelles)
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Paul Van Frank appointed Managing Director of Frégate Island Private (Seychelles)
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Category: Africa Indian Ocean - Seychelles - Careers
- Appointments
This is a press release selected by our editorial committee and published online for free on 2012-01-12
Luxury resort specialist, Paul van Frank, has been appointed as the new managing director of Frégate Island Private, in the Seychelles, effective from 15 December 2011. Taking over the reins from interim general manager Ian Barbour, who successfully ran the ultra exclusive eco retreat for the past nine months, the multi-lingual hospitality veteran joins Frégate Island Private after more than two years as general manager of Shanti Maurice in Mauritius, during which time he successfully repositioned the property as a luxury lifestyle resort and award-winning spa.
“Firstly, on behalf of the entire team at Frégate Island Private, I wish to express our gratitude to Ian Barbour for all of his hard work, commitment and dedication, which is greatly appreciated. It is an honour to have been given this unmissable opportunity to capture the essence of such a unique, eco-conscious and exclusive island, that is justly regarded as a destination in its own right,” says Paul. “I am thrilled to have been invited to lead this ultra-luxurious island resort to achieve its full potential, for the enjoyment of the most discerning of world travellers.” he added.
Frégate Island Private is a multi award-winning luxury eco retreat and member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World and Virtuoso. This year’s accolades include being one of three finalists in the Conservation category of the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards, and inclusion in Condé Nast Traveller’s ‘Gold List 2011’.
The original luxury eco-hideaway, Frégate Island Private is located in the Seychelles, in the midst of the Indian Ocean. Exemplary preservation, protection and nurturing of the island’s unique natural environment, and the utmost in exclusivity for guests, are the central principles at Frégate: abundant fresh produce from the island’s plantations form the basis of the culinary and spa concepts, while a resident ecologist coordinates ongoing work towards the seamless integration of resort operations into ecological programme.
After studying law, Paul van Frank graduated with honours in Business Economics and Public Relations. A Belgian National, Paul has some 25 years experience running some of the world’s finest resorts.
His hospitality career began on the island of Antigua in the West Indies and took him on to Saint Lucia, before he embarked on his first appointment as general manager at the deluxe Fort Young Hotel on the island of Dominica, in the Eastern Caribbean. Following three years overseeing the opening of the Renaissance Resort Aruba, Paul returned to Antigua in the capacity of general manager until 1995, when he left the West Indies after some 11 years to spend over four years in Istanbul, initially as general manager and thereafter as managing director of Turkey’s internationally recognised Kemer Golf & Country Club. He then spent two years as general manager of Begawan Giri Estate in Bali, during which time the Estate was awarded ‘Best of the Best’ by the readers of Condé Nast Traveller.
Paul’s career then took him to Thailand, with a three year tenure as chief operating office of Rayavadee, in Krabi and sister property Tamarind Village in Chiang Mai, during which time Rayavadee was listed in the Condé Nast Traveller ‘Gold List 2005’. His ascent continued with his appointment as general manager of Ananda in the Himalayas in 2008 – which also subsequently featured in Condé Nast Traveller’s ‘Gold List 2009’, as well as being voted runner up in ‘The World’s 100 Best Spas’ by the same publication the previous year.
2009 saw Paul’s return to the Indian Ocean, as general manager of Shanti Maurice, Mauritius. Under his leadership, Shanti Maurice was named amongst the ‘101 Best Spas in the World’ in Tatler magazine’s Spa Guide 2011; and one of the ‘Top Ten Resorts in the World’ by Quintessentially.
About Frégate Island Private
The original luxury eco-hideaway, located in the midst of the Indian Ocean. Frégate Island Private is a three-km square island offering 16 luxuriously appointed villas, which are arranged so that privacy is guaranteed. Seven beaches can be experienced in total seclusion; exclusivity in every respect is the maxim on Frégate, as well as the preservation and protection of the unique natural environment of the island.
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