Shangri-La Appoints Yvonne Wang as HR Lead for MEIA Expansion

Malaz Madani

Last updated 12-06-2025

3 min

Yvonne Wang is appointed HR Lead for Shangri-La in the Middle East, India, and Africa.

With over 20 years in HR, she brings experience from the UAE and China.

Wang will align HR practices with business goals in the MEIA region.

Her cross-border expertise is crucial for Shangri-La's global operations and growth.

Her return strengthens Shangri-La's strategic focus on operational excellence.

Good news for Shangri-La fans in the MENA region this week, as the hospitality giant has announed the appointment of Yvonne Wang as HR Lead for the Middle East, India and Africa (MEIA). Honestly, I'm not one bit surprised. I've always admired Shangri-La's knack for bringing back heavy hitters who genuinely know the ins and outs of the place—Yvonne definitely fits that bill.

Having previously served over a decade in HR leadership positions with Shangri-La and Traders Hotels in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Wang returns with over 20 years in human resources, covering both the UAE and China. Most recently, she held the role of Director of Rewards at Dubai Holdings, where she had a hand in smoothly integrating Dubai Holdings with Nakheel and Meydan. Sounds like quite a complicated juggling act if you ask me!

With her vast background, Wang will spearhead Shangri-La's people strategy across the diverse and multicultural MEIA region, ensuring teams stay aligned with the group's values and long-term ambitions. She'll coordinate closely with local HR teams, pushing forward operational excellence to enable continued business growth.

On a personal note—well, Arageek's mission is all about energising and empowering startups across the region, and hiring top talents like Wang is exactly what every ambitious enterprise needs to secure solid foundations. Talent, after all, makes or breaks a company, you know?

Given her proven expertise in complex transformations and aligning HR practices with overall business goals, Yvonne is pretty much spot on for this demanding role. What's particularly interesting (and rare) is her dual expertise across Asian and Middle Eastern HR operations—something that'll surely come in handy as she settles back into Shangri-La's ambitious MEIA projects.

Shangri-La operates more than 90 properties globally—ranging from hotels and resorts in Australia, France and Japan, to our very own United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia—making Wang's wide-ranging experience all the more valuable. And believe it or not, this kind of cross-border experience is exactly what hospitality groups increasingly crave in today's interconnected world.

In my humble opinion, Shangri-La made a smart move here; I'm pretty chuffed to see Wang return. Her appointment genuinely feels like welcoming back an old friend who's ready to roll up her sleeves and get straight down to business.

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