Darren Blanchard (FIH), Senior Director of Business Development, The Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

A graduate in Hotel, Catering & Institutional Management from Brighton University, and a Fellow of the Institute of Hospitality (FIH). With almost 35-years of hotel & catering experience in operations, consulting and business development, Darren joined the Carlson Rezidor development team in Moscow in March 2006. Previously engaged with Starwood, De Vere, Forte, Renaissance, and IHG in the UK, USA, Bermuda and Hong Kong he initially worked in Eastern Europe in May 1992. Since he has resided the past 25-years in Russia, Azerbaijan and Ukraine. The Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group have 1,400 hotels in operation and under development, with a global footprint covering 115 countries and territories. Within Eastern Europe Carlson Rezidor manage 100-hotels with over 23,000-guestrooms open and in operation.