Gareth LongIHG’s (InterContinental Hotels Group) Karin Sheppard, COO for Australasia and Japan, has announced a new member of her growing Corporate Operations team in preparation for the company’s expanding pipeline in the region, appointing Gareth Long as Director of Operations Support Australasia and Japan. Long will be responsible for driving operations excellence across the 66 hotels in Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Japan, ensuring new initiatives are fully embedded to drive performance improvements.Long has over 10 years’ experience with IHG which has seen him take on various fast-track operations development roles both in Australia and India. He is a graduate of the Group’s Future Leaders Program and held operational roles at Holiday Inn City Centre Perth and Potts Point, before his most recent appointment as General Manager, Holiday Inn Sydney Airport.