Nelum Gunewardane

Director of Commercial, Northern Europe - IHG® Hotels & Resorts

Nelum Gunewardane brings over 25 years of global experience with IHG, having lived and led in major gateway cities including London, New York, Paris and San Francisco. Her career spans iconic luxury and historic hotels, where she drove turnarounds, elevated performance and earned recognition such as IHG’s ‘Best of the Best’ Award and San Francisco Business Times’ ‘Most Influential Women in Business.’

A Cornell scholar and Oxford Brookes MBA graduate, Nelum moved into IHG’s head office to lead major portfolio integrations, conversions, openings and brand launches. As Director of Operations, she strengthened GM communities, embedded sustainability and boosted hotel performance across Europe. Today, as Director of Commercial for Northern Europe, she shapes strategy across sales, marketing and distribution while championing talent development and brand excellence across the region.