Karin SheppardThe Chief Operating Officer of one of Australia’s largest and most established hotel groups – InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) – has been appointed to the Board of Tourism Accommodation Australia (TAA). Karin Sheppard is IHG’s Chief Operating Officer for Australasia & Japan region, overseeing the operations and performance of some 70 hotels in Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Japan across brands including the luxury InterContinental Hotels & Resorts; business and meetings focused Crowne Plaza and the midscale Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express brands. She is also responsible for the regional operations teams based in Sydney and Tokyo. Over the course of her 15 years with IHG, Karin has held senior commercial roles in Australasia, Europe and the Middle East. Before taking on her current role, she was Chief Commercial Officer for Asia, Middle East & Africa based in Singapore, where she led key commercial functions including Brand Management, Sales, Marketing and Revenue Management.