Accor

Curating and launching Accor’s flagship Supreme-luxury lifestyle brand in North America

Brand Build | New to the World Luxury Hotel Brand

Sienna Senior Living

Led Marketing, Brand Strategy, and Business Intelligence at Sienna Senior Living. Architected the company’s first enterprise BI platform—now a cornerstone of strategic decision-making.

Commercial Strategy | Vice President - Marketing, Brand Strategy & Business Intelligence

Brought a new brand to life. Launched Aspira—a fresh Active Retirement Living experience built for today’s aging population.
As VP of Marketing & Brand Strategy at Sienna Senior Living (TSX:SIA), I led the full brand development and go-to-market launch across Canada.

Brand Build & Launch | Vice President, Marketing & Brand Strategy

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts

A global role leading the Distribution strategy and execution, Distribution operations and Call Centre, B2B Sales and support for the group.

Key responsibilities included

✅ Turnover of $500 million business segment
✅ Manage $25 million expense budget
✅ B2B marketing, sales, contracting, and management 
✅ Responsible Distribution Channel technology and strategy
✅ Responsible for the Global Call center
✅ Lead a global team of 100+ team members

Commercial Strategy | Senior Director, Global Distribution & Channel Strategy (Marketing)

Shangri-La Group

Based in Corporate Headquarters of Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts, Hong Kong.
The role entails managing Corporate Reservations, Customer Contact Centers & Distribution for the group.
Established a new contact centre in Guangzhou, China, to support inbound and outbound interaction in Mandarin and Cantonese.

Commercial Strategy | Director Distribution Management & Corporate Reservations (Marketing)

Based in Corporate Headquarters of Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts, Hong Kong.
The role entails developing new Marketing concepts
Establishing and opening new hotels; Led Brand and Marketing to open hotels in Brisbane, Singapore, Puteri Harbour (Malaysia), Abu Dhabi, Muscat, amongst others

Brand Build & Launch | Director of Sales & Marketing - pre-opening hotels (new markets development)

Based at Shangri-La Hotel, Doha, Qatar
Hotel Pre-opening Executive Committee member
Leading Sales & Marketing

Brand Launch | Director of Sales & Marketing

Based in Traders Hotel Dubai
Leading the Sales & Marketing Department
Responsible for Revenue, Sales, Distribution, Events & Public Relations teams.

Director of Sales & Marketing

Based at the Shangri-La Hotel in Bangkok
Leading the Revenue Management Department
Responsible for Revenue Management of all revenue-generating areas of the hotel, Pricing and Optimising yields.

Director of Revenue Management

InterContinental Hotels Group

Based in Holiday Inn Silom, Bangkok
Marketing Plan
Revenue Management & Pricing
Budgetting & Forecasting

Revenue Manager

Taj Hotels

City Revenue Manager

VP-Marketing & Brand Strategy | On a mission to make Strategic Marketing your superpower, so you can add value, drive commercial success, get unstuck and grow. I do this 1 post, 1 conversation, 1 mentee at a time.🏍

Building Brands That Drive Growth and Command Loyalty

I’ve spent my career at the intersection of luxury hospitality, brand strategy, and commercial leadership, working across global markets from India to Thailand, Dubai, Doha, Hong Kong, China, and Canada. With over two decades of experience in revenue management, brand positioning, and customer experience design, I’ve had the privilege of building strategies that not only drive revenue but also strengthen brand equity and customer loyalty across diverse cultures and business environments.

My journey took an unexpected turn during the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted my career’s upward trajectory and gave me the chance to step outside hospitality into the retirement living sector. That experience, combined with my pursuit of an MBA at Kellogg School of Management, helped me realize that my core strength lies in connecting customer insights, brand identity, and revenue strategy into a cohesive, competitive advantage.

Today, I leverage my global leadership experience, strategic mindset, and customer-first philosophy to help organizations align brand promise with business performance, ensuring they remain customer-obsessed, commercially smart, and future-ready. Whether repositioning a brand, driving market growth, or building high-performing teams, I believe great brands are built at the intersection of people, profit, and customer experience.

Contact: arvind.bala@kellogg.northwestern.edu

Arvind Bala

Ulli is an internationally recognized and award-winning marketing and brand strategy consultant and trainer with over 25 years of experience creating business-building brand strategies around the world.

Prior to launching brand strategy and training boutique First The Trousers Then The Shoes Inc. in 2014, he held senior strategy roles at some of the world's top advertising agencies, including Head of Strategy at BBDO Germany and Leo Burnett Chicago and Global Strategy Director at Fallon Worldwide and SapientNitro.

He has contributed to seven Effies and an ARF (Advertising Research Federation) Ogilvy award for Excellence in Research. His insights and strategies for Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Nestle, General Mills, Wrigley, Hallmark, Harley Davidson, Chrysler, Skoda, 3M, Ecolab, and many more have helped build these brands in Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the US.

He is the author of the award-winning and best-selling “Brand Positioning Workbook” and the “Brand Positioning Development Method Cards” as well as the “Aha!, The Ultimate Insight Generation Toolkit”, already used by tens of thousands of marketers and strategists around the world.

He is a contributor to various trade publications in the US and Europe, a regular podcast interviewee, a speaker, and a regular guest speaker at the Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication
University of Minnesota.

His work spans the US, Europe, and occasionally Asia.

He lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with his wife, three children, two dogs, and one crested gecko.

Ulli Appelbaum

It doesn't get old, a bronze award for "The Science of Brand Associations: Win Minds, Win Markets"

Founder & CSO @ First The Trousers | Author of "Brand Positioning Workbook" | Trainer & Speaker #marketing #brand positioning #brandassociations #branding #author

Open article: Book Award Winner: The Science of Brand Associations: Win Minds, Win Markets by Ulli Appelbaum - Nonfiction Authors Association by nonfictionauthorsassociation.com

Book Award Winner: The Science of Brand Associations: Win Minds, Win Markets by Ulli Appelbaum - Nonfiction Authors Association

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