Pannells appoints new hotel supremo

Pannell Kerr Forster’s embattled hotels consultancy last week did away with the posts of chairman and managing director and appointed its first chief executive.

Stuart May, former managing director of Forte Heritage Hotels, steps into the newly-created post at the beginning of October.

His first task will be to reconstruct a team that has lost 10 of its 25 staff after an unsuccessful # 3m management buy-out bid made in February.

The main beneficiary of the Pannells’ discontent has been rival Arthur Andersen which has poached seven staff, including former managing director Frank Croston, who joined four months ago.

But a confident May told Accountancy Age he was determined to steer the business through its present troubles.

He said: ‘The core directors (Andy Duncan, Stan Dixon and Bob Lewis) are still in position, and my priority is to pull the team together after a period of some disruption.’

As part of the reconstruction, Edward Middleton, the partner in charge of the consultancy, has appointed Melvin Gold as a director. Gold, a former hotel consultant at Pannells, returns to the firm after four years with Glencore, a multinational commodity trader.

Three consultants, Anna Corkhill, Nigel Teasdale and Patrick Anwin, have also been brought in to bolster the team’s numbers.

Middleton said he would announce more recruits in the next fortnight.