IHG CEO Keith Barr Steps Down

25.08.2023 - 13:39 / skift.com / Ihg / Richard Clarke / Keith Barr

InterContinental Hotels Group accompanied its first-quarter earnings with the news that group CEO Keith Barr will be replaced by IHG‘s Americas CEO Elie Maalouf on June 30. Barr has led IHG for six years, and Maalouf has been in his role since 2015.

Barr cited personal reasons related to his family moving back home to the U.S. as he addressed his stepping down at the start of the company’s 2023 first-quarter earnings call on Friday, May 5.

“On a personal level, it’s been a very difficult decision,” Barr said. “But after nearly 20 years away from the U.S. working in different countries, now is the right time for me and my family to return to the U.S. given my daughters will be studying there.”

Barr called his 30-year journey with the company an “incredible privilege.”

“IHG is a very special company, and to have spent the last 6 years as CEO has been an honor, as has working alongside our talented colleagues and in partnership with our hotel owners who all share our passion for hospitality,” Barr said.

Barr has served as CEO since July 2017 and as chief commercial officer for four years before that. He held key roles across IHG’s international groups in China, North America, and Australia. He initially joined IHG following the acquisition of Bristol Hotels and Resorts in 2000.

“I’m delighted that Ellie will be succeeding me,” Barr said. “I will be here in an advisory capacity until the end of 2023, but from July, Ellie will take over as Group CEO and be based here in the UK.”

Maalouf has led the Americas region for eight years.

“These eight years running the Americas have been one of the best periods in my career,” Maalouf wrote on LinkedIn on Friday. “Record profit levels; we’ve grown our estate from around 3,700 hotels to more than 4,350 hotels; strengthened our existing brands and brought seven new ones to market; significantly strengthened how we drive value for our owners; and championed important progress in the DE&I [diversity, equity, and inclusion] space.”

On an analyst call, Bernstein Senior Analyst Richard Clarke noted that, with Barr’s stepping down and Maalouf’s succession into the group CEO role, it put IHG’s entire Americas leadership into the group’ C-suite. Clarke asked what it meant for the company’s focus on improving its Americas performance and management. Michael Glover, took over as IHG’s group chief financial officer in March after previously serving as chief financial officer of the Americas and group head of commercial finance.

Barr responded by outlining the importance of succession planning for the company and what he said was IHG’s fortunate position of having leaders who have been exposed to the key strategic initiatives across the company’s various markets.  

“The