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Jean-Marc Pougnet has been appointed General Manager at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort in Chiang Rai

Hospitality Net19-05-2025

Jean-Marc's promotion to General Manager at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort marks his return to his first property with Minor Hotels and his first General Manager role.
After moving to Chiang Rai, Thailand in 2013, Jean-Marc joined Anantara Golden Triangle in 2018 as Food & Beverage Manager and was later promoted to Director of Food & Beverage. He moved to Avani+ Khao Lak Resort in 2021 to set up its F&B department. For the past two years, Jean-Marc has served as Resort Manager at Avani+ Khao Lak Resort, leading the team of over 300 team members at the 327-key property.
With over a decade of experience in various senior food and beverage and operational roles across three continents - Europe, Africa and Asia - Jean-Marc has a firm grasp of operational excellence and creating innovative guest experiences.
A Mauritian national, Jean-Marc holds multiple degrees in International Hotel and Tourism Management from Ulster University in Northern Ireland and HTMi Hotel and Tourism Management Institute Switzerland.

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