Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts confirm focus on Middle East market with appointments and promotions across the region’s sales and marketing teams

The Sales and Marketing teams at Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts across the Middle East welcome new additions and returning industry veterans with a slew of appointments and promotions across five regional properties.  

Starting in Egypt, a long-standing member of the Four Seasons team Sherifa Issa has been appointed the new Director of Sales and Marketing for Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza and Four Seasons Hotel Alexandria at San Stefano.

A graduate of the American University in Cairo, with a major in Business Administration, Issa’s passion for the hospitality industry began young as a member of a family of hoteliers. Issa has spent more than 13 years in the industry, starting off with the pre-opening team at Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at the First Residence as Sales Manager, followed by three years as Director of Sales where she developed extensive leadership skills and managerial insight, taking on the responsibilities of Director of Sales and Marketing in 2006. Her work was recognized and honored by a prestigious Four Seasons award for Marketing Hotel of the Year in 2006.

Also in Egypt, Daniela Skopnik – part of the opening team of Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at the First Residence in 2000 – will return to the property as the new Director of Marketing. From her initial post as Senior Sales Manager she later broadened her scope to oversee sales of all Four Seasons Hotels in Egypt to the European market. 

Having started her hospitality career in London almost 24 years ago, the German national has spent most of the last 10 years working in Egypt. Her sales and marketing experience in hotels covers five countries where she held diverse positions ranging from sales manager to vice president of marketing for brands such as InterContinental, Accor, Swiss Inns and the M.A. Kharafi Group. Reputed to possess the Midas touch, Skopnik will lead the Sales and Marketing team at Four Seasons Cairo at the First Residence with the same passion and panache that she has always been known for.

Four Seasons Hotel Damascus will also welcome a new Director of Marketing, Aboud Haboury. Haboury first joined the Four Seasons family in 2006 as Director of Catering at Four Seasons Hotel Damascus and then took on the role of Director of Sales in September 2007.

Haboury has a deep knowledge of the local marketing scene in Syria, as someone who was born and has lived in Damascus for most of his life. In addition, his regional and international experience place him in an enviable position when it comes to understanding the preferences and requirements of marketing to regional and international guests. Having graduated in 1991 from Damascus Institute of Hospitality in Syria with a Diploma in Hospitality, Aboud Haboury began his career at the Crowne Plaza Abu Dhabi, UAE as part of the front desk team before becoming a Sales Manager in 1996. Haboury later transferred to the Crowne Plaza Toronto, Canada as Catering Manager from 1998 to 2000 before taking on the role of Sales Manager for the Metropolitan in 2000 and the Sheraton Centre in 2002.

Across the border in Jordan, Four Seasons Hotel Amman also welcomes a new addition to its Marketing and Communications team with Sara Assad, the new Director of Public Relations. Assad brings with her a vast journalistic background in a number of reputable publications as well as a strong foundation in social media. Assad holds a mass communication and journalism degree from Lynn University in Florida. This is her first venture into the hotel and hospitality industry, and she looks forward to experiencing all it has to offer.