The luxury hotel in Newcastle city centre has appointed hospitality industry finance expert, Brian Alexander, to lead its finance department.
Heading up a team of four, he will oversee all accounting and financial requirements as well as providing specialist advice and support to the general manager and hotel team.
Brian says: “Having been open for just under a year, the hotel is still a relatively new addition to the city’s hotel stock and being part of the senior team at such an early stage is what attracted me most to the role. It’ll be both challenging and exciting to take the business forward into its second year and beyond; I can’t wait to get started.”
Brian has worked in the hotel industry since the late 70s, starting out as a housekeeping porter at the County Thistle hotel in Newcastle city centre. Looking for career progression, he studied finance at Newcastle College and was promoted to accounts manager in 1995 – a role in which he oversaw the transition from manual accounting to computerised systems.
Leaving Thistle in 2003, Brian continued to build his career over the next 10 years in various senior financial positions at hotels across the North East, including, Jurys Inn and The Village as well as a stint as financial controller at Newcastle Marriott Hotel Gosforth Park. In 2012, he moved back to Thistle before joining Crowne Plaza Newcastle-Stephenson Quarter.
Andrew Fox, general manager at Crowne Plaza Newcastle-Stephenson Quarter, adds: “We’re delighted to welcome Brian to our senior management team. We’ve achieved some excellent results in our first year in business and his wealth of experience in financial management in the hotel industry will be invaluable as we look to build on this success in the coming years.”