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Frances-Anne and Piers Schmidt new Red Sea Global Advisory Board members

Published

13 Jun 2021

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Red Sea Global appoints new members to its global Advisory Board

Published

13 Jun 2021

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  • World-renowned experts in marketing, branding and customer experience to inform The Red Sea Project’s next phase ahead of opening

 

Riyadh, (13 June 2021): Red Sea Global RSG (formerly known as TRSDC) , the developer behind the world’s most ambitious regenerative tourism project, has appointed two industry experts to its global Advisory Board.

The new appointees, who have a combined experience of over 50 years in the hospitality and tourism sector, will play a pivotal role in directing The Red Sea Project towards welcoming its first guests at the end of 2022.

Frances-Anne Keeler (ex-Tourism Australia and VisitBritain) and Piers Schmidt (Founder of Luxury Branding) join the company’s existing international Advisory Board of eight world-leaders in business, investment, tourism, sustainability and conservation with immediate effect.


 

As we prepare to welcome our first visitors to the destination next year, our focus is turning towards how we share the treasures of The Red Sea Project. We are delighted to welcome the new Advisory Board members, whose experience will be instrumental in our preparation for launch, 
Said John Pagano, Group CEO of RSG.

 


 

Frances-Anne Keeler has over 25 years of experience across hospitality and tourism, business and events and education and financial services. Having previously served as Tourism Australia’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer and VisitBritain’s Executive Director of Europe, she has led international strategy, marketing and operations across multiple markets. Frances-Anne has used her industry knowledge to launch her own tourism strategy consulting firm. She chairs the boards of various tourism initiatives, including Australian Tourism Data Warehouse, the national platform for digital tourism information in the region and Chocolateria San Churro, a unique Spanish chocolate café experience with over 50 stores in Australia.

Piers Schmidt brings over 25 years of experience in advising luxury brands. In 2002, Piers founded Luxury Branding, an advisory boutique for leaders seeking to create the world’s most hospitable brands. His experience includes the branding and roll-out of One&Only Resorts, extending the Giorgio Armani brand into hospitality and codifying five Trophy assets into the Dorchester Collection. Piers is also a visiting professor on the MBA program at Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne, a prestigious hospitality school in Switzerland.

The two advisors will join the roster of regional and international experts who currently advise the Board of Directors and Executive Management Team of RSG.

The Red Sea Project has already passed numerous significant milestones and work is on track to welcome the first guests when the international airport and the first hotels will open next year. All 16 hotels planned in Phase I will be opening by the end of 2023.

Upon completion in 2030, The Red Sea Project will comprise 50 hotels, offering up to 8,000 hotel rooms and around 1,300 residential properties across 22 islands and six inland sites. The destination will also include a luxury marina, entertainment and leisure facilities.

 

About Red Sea Global

Red Sea Global (RSG - www.redseaglobal.com) is a closed joint-stock company wholly owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia. It is a vertically integrated real estate developer with a diverse portfolio across tourism, residential, experiences, infrastructure, transport, healthcare, and services. This includes the luxury regenerative tourism destinations The Red Sea, which began welcoming guests in 2023, and AMAALA, which remains on track to welcome first guests in 2025. A third destination, Thuwal Private Retreat, will open this year, and RSG has also been entrusted with refurbishment works at Al Wajh Airport, focused on upgrading the existing terminal and infrastructure, and building a new international terminal. RSG is a cornerstone of Saudi Arabia’s ambition to diversify its economy. Across its growing portfolio of destinations, subsidiaries, and businesses, RSG seeks to lead the world towards a more sustainable future, showing how responsible development can uplift communities, drive economies, and enhance the environment.

RSG is the visionary company behind some of the world’s most ambitious development ventures, including luxury regenerative tourism destinations such as The Red Sea and AMAALA.

Across its portfolio, RSG leverages the most innovative concepts, strategies, and technologies to deliver projects that actively enhance the wellbeing of customers, communities, and environments.

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