Salem bin Ali Al-Shahrani

Salem bin Ali Al-Shahrani is a hospitality veteran and luxury hotelier with over 25 years of experience in the hospitality and tourism industry. He earned recognition as one of Hozpitality's Best 30 Hospitality and Tourism Leaders in the Middle East for 2023, and was named to Hotelier Middle East's Saudi Vision 2030 Power List as a transformative travel and tourism leader. He was recognized as General Manager of the Year – Luxury at the inaugural Hotelier Saudi Arabia Awards.

Al-Shahrani holds a master's degree in hospitality management from Ecole-Hôtelière de Lausanne, a master's degree in business administration from King Abdulaziz University, and a Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering from the same university. He is currently serving as the General Manager of Operations for the Fairmont, Raffles, Swissotel Makkah, and Swissotel Al-Muqam hotel group.

Career history

• 2021–present: Managing Director, Makkah Clock Royal Tower (Fairmont, Raffles, Swissotel Makkah), overseeing strategic initiatives and day-to-day operations for a complex with 5,000 keys and over 1,800 employees
• 2019–2021: General Manager, Royal Hotel at the Royal Court for the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, responsible for providing luxury and specialized services to hotel guests
• 2017–2019: CEO and Lecturer, College of Tourism at King Abdulaziz University
• 2015–2017: Consultant and Head of Travel Committee, Royal Hotel for the Royal Court
• 2013–2015: General Manager, InterContinental Hotels (IHG), leading daily operations and contributing to the brand's strategic development
• 1997: Joined IHG Group and climbed his way to General Manager Position

Al-Shahrani holds board memberships in several companies, including Vision City Company, where he leads the Audit, Nominations, and Remunerations Committees, as well as in the Real Estate and Tourism Development Company. He served as Non-Executive Board Member and Chairman of the Nominations and Remuneration Committee at BAAN Holding Group Company until October 4, 2026. He is also a member of the Shura Council.

What Salem bin Ali Al-Shahrani could bring to BAAN Holding Group Company: His extensive hospitality executive experience and proven track record managing luxury hotel operations at scale, combined with his board-level governance expertise in nominations and remuneration, positioned him to strengthen the company's strategic direction in hospitality and tourism investments. His deep industry networks across international and regional markets, coupled with his operational excellence methodology, could have enhanced BAAN's portfolio management and stakeholder value creation in the leisure and entertainment sector.