Corporate Team

Mark Whitlock
Managing Director
Mark brings over a decade of senior leadership experience spanning the Middle East and the United Kingdom. As Group Director of Operations for Premier Inn Hotels – Middle East, he played a key role in driving operational excellence across the region. His career also includes notable positions with Whitbread, including Cluster General Manager in Abu Dhabi and Regional Operations Manager in the UK, where he led large-scale teams and consistently delivered strong performance outcomes.
At Jannah, Mark continues to leverage his expertise in overseeing multi-property portfolios, enhancing guest satisfaction, and fostering high-performing teams, contributing significantly to the company’s growth and operational success.

Amer Ammar
Director of Commercial Strategy & Development
Amer brings more than 25 years of hospitality experience across the UAE and wider Middle East, in senior leadership positions within multi-property and new opening hotel environments. Throughout his career, he has combined operational leadership with direct responsibility for revenue strategy, sales, pricing and distribution, building a comprehensive understanding of the commercial and operational drivers of hotel profitability and long-term value.

Moaaz Ahmed Tayyab
Director of Finance
Moaaz brings over 13 years of robust experience in financial analysis, control, and strategic planning, with a strong foundation built in his home country, Pakistan. Prior to relocating to the UAE, he held the position of Director of Finance at Continental Dive Core Developers Pvt. Ltd. His career spans a range of prominent hospitality brands, including roles such as Assistant Director of Finance at Pearl Continental Hotel – Malam Jabba, Financial Controller at Ramada by Wyndham – Islamabad, Chief Financial Officer at IHIG Pakistan Pvt. Ltd., and Deputy Director of Finance at Pearl Continental Hotel – Karachi.
In addition to his operational finance roles, Moaaz also established a solid grounding in audit and taxation through his earlier work with the Hashoo Group and KPMG Pakistan. His diverse background continues to contribute to the financial strength and strategic direction of the organization.

Ahmed Selim
Director of Human Resources
With more than 17 years of experience in Human Capital leadership, Ahmed holds senior roles across leading hospitality brands, including serving as Human Capital Director at Erth Abu Dhabi and spending over nine years with Rixos Hotels in leadership positions focused on talent development and organisational culture.
Building on an early career with Sunrise Royal Makadi, Hilton, Radisson SAS, and PWC Logistics (Agility), and supported by his IRCA Lead Auditor certification, he brings extensive expertise in HR strategy, people development, and service quality. His depth of experience plays a key role in strengthening Jannah’s people-first culture and elevating organisational performance in the coming year.

Julio Rafael
Director of Marketing & Communications
Started his professional career in the banking and finance sector before moving to Marketing and Customer Service. He had his foundational years in Al Forsan International Sports Resorts and Al Forsan Real Estate in Abu Dhabi as a Marketing Manager right after moving to the UAE from Lebanon. He also managed the F&B sector in the Reserve Out App which consists of over 400 accounts and a total of 1,700 outlets all over UAE including Hilton, Marriot, St. Regis, Four Seasons, and SLS. He was a Cluster Marketing Manager in Capital Motion Restaurant Management handling 11 F&B outlets in different areas of Abu Dhabi prior to joining JHR.
With his innovative approach to handling various accounts and his keen and ambitious personality, we are excited to see how Julio redefines our marketing initiatives to help maintain our exceptional service at a caliber of excellence across all properties both in marketing and communications.

Ahmad Hafez
Corporate IT Director
With a bachelor’s in MIS and Masters in Information Technology Management, Ahmad has multiple industry experience as IT Manager for an extensive portfolio across several prominent companies in the UAE including Commodore Group & Emirates Link Maltauro.
He started as IT Manager for Jannah Hotels & Resort since 2018 and promoted as IT Director as of 25 April 2021.

Hazem Badran
Head of Revenue
With over 20 years of experience in revenue management, reservations, and commercial strategy, Hazem brings a wealth of expertise shaped by his work with leading hospitality brands across the globe. A valued member of the Jannah family, he previously served as Cluster Director of Revenue Management from 2015 to 2019, playing a key role in the successful pre-opening and early growth of Jannah Hotels & Resorts. He continues to contribute his deep industry insight and strategic acumen to the brand’s evolving commercial initiatives.
Hazem’s international experience – most recently as Director of Revenue & Reservation at Dragon Palace Hotel Dubai and Director of Revenue for Heirloom Ghent in Belgium – underscores his global perspective and proficiency in launching and positioning new properties. His data-driven leadership, honed through roles with prestigious names such as Anantara, Danat Hotels, and Emirates Palace, consistently drives market share growth, pricing optimization, and revenue performance across diverse markets.

Mahmoud Aboelela
Head of Sales
Mahmoud Abouelela is a results-oriented Head of Sales with over 15 years of international experience across Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Marriott International, and TSGOSUN Group in the UAE. A strategic architect of MPI, ARI, and RGI growth, he consistently outperforms market benchmarks through disciplined commercial leadership. Mahmoud is known for building empowered, high-impact sales teams and translating market insight into measurable revenue gains across Corporate, Government, MICE, Travel Trade, and Sports segments. His approach combines precision, agility, and long-term vision to deliver dynamic, sustainable performance and competitive advantage.

Andre Ferreira
Head of E-Commerce
Andre has a degree in Hotel Revenue Management at Cornell University and started at Corinthia Hotels in Lisbon as E-Commerce Executive, growing his career into Revenue with focus on digital marketing and data analytics.

Mohamad Ali
Head of Finance
With a Bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance. Demonstrated competencies in handling general accounting and finance support functions covering all financial aspects of business and drive the company’s financial strategy and planning. He is responsible for assessing the financial performance of the company as well as possible risks and investments.
Also proven in providing proactive and efficient administration and human resource assistance with remarkable skills in carrying out multiple task simultaneously, maintaining strict confidentiality of company records, coordinating with third parties and surpassing performance parameters.