Kempinski Group appointed Noel Attard as Chief Development Officer, the group announced from Dubai on 17 September 2026. The group frames the move as the next phase of brand-anchored growth and as an internal progression that keeps the work already under way in place.
Attard moves up from Chief Transformation Officer, a role he took in early 2025, after architecting the group’s business transformation strategy.
The pipeline he now owns
Attard oversees the expansion of the global portfolio. The appointment covers four channels: targeted acquisitions, management contracts, branded residences and brand debuts in priority and emerging markets.
Kempinski operates 73 properties in 33 countries, and the group says more than 21 projects sit under development. eHotelier’s coverage of 18 September 2026 puts the group at 74 properties in 33 countries and repeats the same development count. The two figures describe one portfolio three days apart.
Group chief executive Barbara Muckermann published her account of where the acquisitions channel leads on 13 May 2026. She wrote that Kempinski had announced the acquisition of the Augustine Hotel in Prague, its first wholly owned hotel in over five decades, and that ownership gives the group the freedom to shape a hospitality experience in its entirety.
The record behind the title
Attard’s tenure at Kempinski runs to 20 years. It covers trading entity management, group-level strategic planning and hotel openings.
Three openings carry his name: Kempinski Hotel Cathedral Square in Vilnius, Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz in Gozo and Kempinski Hotel Adriatic in Croatia. He spent more than ten years as chief executive officer of Kempinski Trading DMCC in Dubai, and served earlier as financial controller and general manager.
The group describes his approach to property development as one that prioritises real-world asset operations, with expansion informed by front-line expertise.
The appointments around him
Kempinski joins a run of hotel groups filling the same post. The related-coverage list attached to the appointment story names four.
Centara appointed Andrew Shaw to the role on 25 August 2026. Capella Hotel Group appointed Feisal Jaffer on 26 June 2026. IHG Hotels & Resorts appointed Mark Sergot as chief development officer for the Americas on 16 January 2026. Stonebridge appointed Kevin Dingle on 6 August 2025.
What to ask the group for
Kempinski has published no target count for the portfolio. The release gives the current size and the development count.
Ask the group for the portfolio target, for the transition date between the two roles and for the reporting line the development function now carries.