Shahid Javed
Executive Vice President, Procurement & Project Management, Chief Procurement Officer

As Executive Vice President of Procurement, Shahid is responsible for developing and deploying end-to-end supply chain solutions across the entire hotel life cycle. Shahid leads innovation across the supply chain, building on data analytics to drive insights and leveraging procurement technology platform and expansive buying power to generate optimal value and efficiencies for hotel owners and investors.

His responsibilities include client facing procurement strategy and sourcing to support day-to-day hotel operations, managing Aimbridge’s differentiated capabilities in hospitality procurement of FF&E and OS&E, and overseeing project management for hotel renovations, brand conversations and new construction. He also oversees the execution of Property Improvement Plans (PIP) and all elements of capital budgeting, planning and implementation. In addition, Shahid oversees Indirect Procurement to manage Aimbridge corporate’s sourcing and procurement needs.

With over 25 years of procurement leadership and supply chain expertise across multiple industries and geographies, Shahid most recently served as Chief Procurement Officer at TIAA. Prior to that he was JLL’s Global Chief Procurement Officer, transforming the global sourcing and procurement function with a combined purchasing power of over $30 billion, implementing category management and utilizing data analytics and technology-based solutions for the commercial real estate services firm. Shahid was BP’s Chief Procurement Officer for the U.S. onshore business, managing a multi-billion dollar annual third party spend. He successfully created category strategies, conducted strategic sourcing, and embedded supplier relationship management. He has also spent time with an internet start-up establishing procurement consortium, and with a management consulting firm advising clients on procurement strategy and transformation.

Shahid graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering and holds an MBA and MS in Manufacturing Systems Engineering from Stanford University.

Allison Handy
Executive Vice President of Commercial

Allison Handy, Executive Vice President of Commercial, is responsible for driving the commercial performance for Aimbridge’s US and Canadian hotels, leading the Sales, Revenue Strategy, Marketing, and Ecommerce teams. Her leadership optimizes our expertise to deliver exceptional results for our owners.

Allison joined Aimbridge in December 2021 through the acquisition of Prism Hotels & Resorts, where she spent 15 years, most recently as a partner overseeing Sales, Marketing, and Revenue Optimization. She also spearheaded marketing and public relations initiatives to promote Prism and secure new management contracts.

Prior to Prism, Allison held various sales roles at Interstate Hotels & Resorts and MeriStar Hotels & Resorts across northern and southern California for nearly a decade.

Allison is actively involved with HSMAI, currently serving on the Americas Board and previously on the Sales Advisory Board. She also helped launch the Rising Sales Leaders program. In 2018, she was named one of HSMAI’s Top 25 Most Extraordinary Minds and in 2024, one of Hotel Management’s Influential Women in Hospitality.

Allison holds a degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in entrepreneurial studies from the University of Southern California. She also gained international experience through the University of Pittsburgh’s Semester at Sea Program, studying in South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia.

Orkun Aydin
Senior Vice President Operations-Full Service

As Senior Vice President of Operations, Orkun Aydin is responsible for managing a portfolio of full-service hotels and resorts including major branded and independent properties. Aydin has over 25 years of extensive experience in hospitality industry including executive leadership roles in full service, resort and convention properties.

Previously, Aydin oversaw full service and resort properties as Vice President of Operations for Aimbridge since 2015. Prior to that, Orkun spent 11 years with Interstate Hotels & Resorts as a General Manager for top brands and subsequently as Area General Manager for the Buena Vista Palace Hotel & Spa - a Walt Disney World Resort, DoubleTree by Hilton Universal Studios, and Westin Tampa Harbour Island with a combined 2,055 rooms and 161,000 sq.ft. of meeting space. Earlier in his career he held hotel operations leadership roles for KSL Resorts, Boca Resorts and Starwood.

Matt Engels
Senior Vice President Operations-Full Service

As Senior Vice President of Operations, Matt Engels is responsible for managing a portfolio of full-service hotels under major franchise lodging brands. A results oriented and highly driven hospitality executive, Engels has a solid record of accomplishment over the past 30 years building high performing teams to achieve client and company objectives.

Engels is well versed in operations, labor relations, brand management, operating transitions, ground-up new build hotel openings, and purchase and sale transactions. His operations experience spans hotels in urban, suburban and airport markets throughout North America under brands such as Marriott, Hilton, Starwood, Hyatt and InterContinental, as well as independent boutique hotels.

Previously, Engels served as Senior Vice President with Interstate Hotels & Resorts and prior to that as Executive Vice President of RIM Hospitality. His early career includes hotel culinary, food and beverage, and operations leadership roles culminating in regional operations positions with Hilton Hotel Corporation and Red Lion Hotels and Resorts. He also served as Chairperson of the Washington State Hotel and Lodging Association.

Cindy Landes
Senior Vice President Operations-Select Service

Cindy Landes is Senior Vice President, Operations-Select Service Division. Most recently, Cindy was Vice President, Operations of Aimbridge Hospitality since May 2019, leading a portfolio of 130 properties.

Cindy is a tenured operations leader with multi-brand and hotel segment experience with a strong record of accomplishment and creating an environment of highly engaged, inclusive associates in the properties she supports. She began her hospitality career as a Night Auditor at the Sheraton Hotel in Texarkana, TX, and held a variety of hotel sales and operations positions ultimately becoming General Manager in 2000 for full-service hotels in the San Francisco Bay Area and Southern California. Cindy joined Aimbridge Hospitality in 2017 through predecessor company ONE Lodging Management, where she served as a Regional Director of Operations for six years.

Amir Mustafa
Senior Vice President Operations-Select Service

Amir Mustafa, SVP OPerations, has a track record of hotel operations success, strong owner relations, and building high-performing teams. His career journey took him from his first job working at a deli counter after arriving in the US at 22 years old to his current role as Senior Vice President. Early on, as he continued his education he waited tables, which led to his first hotel role at the Embassy Suites in Crystal City, Virginia. It did not take long for Amir to receive consecutive promotions leading to his first General Manager role. While Amir was an Area Operations Manager, his then-ownership group acquired Extended Stay America and Amir was eventually promoted to a Regional VP of Operations with oversight of nearly 60 hotels based in South Florida. His next chapter brought him to Aimbridge Hospitality in May 2019.

Amir studied at the University of Ain Shams in Cairo, Egypt, and graduated with a degree in Agricultural Economics

Bob Sullivan
Senior Vice President Operations-Select Service

As Senior Vice President of Operations-Select Service, Bob Sullivan is responsible for the operations and performance of multiple portfolios of select service and extended stay verticals. Bob has held the Senior Vice President role for Interstate Hotels & Resorts prior to the integration with Aimbridge Hospitality in October of 2019.

Bob was a principle and Executive Vice President for the Noble Investment Group with responsibility for overseeing the operational leadership for Noble’s hotel group. Bob has an extensive background in all areas of hotel operations, sales, deployment and a track record of delivering return on investment. Mr. Sullivan has led and managed operations for large and complex portfolios of nationally branded hotels and held numerous key leadership positions in various aspects of hotel operations throughout his career. His career hospitality experience includes full and select service general management positions, corporate director of food and beverage positions as well as executive leadership positons.

Bob has served on owner’s advisory committees for Hilton, IHG and Starwood brands as well as serving as a hospitality instructor on the continuing education and community college levels.

Gary Thomas
Senior Vice President, Operations-Evolution Lifestyle

Gary was born in Swaziland and learned to speak Swazi before he could speak English. He spent his early childhood in boarding school before moving to South Africa where he lived on the Indian Ocean in Durban.

After completing high school, he joined the military to complete his national service, spending an additional couple of years on active duty in Southern Africa attaining the rank of 1st Lieutenant. Once Gary left the military, he went right on to study and complete his degree in hospitality management. Having caught the hospitality “bug”, Gary then spent several years working post college in Cape Town before relocating to London – where he spent the next 10 years working and travelling in a variety of lifestyle properties and loving every minute of it.

Gary says he was born to be in hospitality as his paternal grandparents and father had both been in hospitality having owned and operated hotels, so hospitality is in his blood. Gary shared during the interview process that he was so thankful he has been able to find a career that has afforded him the opportunity to travel and live around the world - being able to meet so many different people and experience the beauty of so many different cultures.

Over the course of his career, Gary has overseen an array of esteemed lifestyle brands throughout the US and overseas. Most recently Gary led operations for MakeReady Hotels and a large part of his formative years were spent with Ian Schrager and the Morgans Hotel Group. He also served with The Lightstone Group & Bridge Hotel Group. He developed a deep operational skill set as Area General Manager for SBE Hotels as he led the re-branding of The Redbury New York and the pre-opening of the SLS Park Avenue. In addition, Gary served as General Manager at the SLS Beverly Hills and was the opening Managing Director of The LINE in Los Angeles.