InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has announced three new senior appointments across the Mena region. Bastien Blanc (left) has been appointed as the vice-president operations-Middle East. Based in IHG’s office in Dubai, Blanc will be responsible for leading the operations across GCC countries and Levant. Nicolas Craninx has been appointed as director, hotel performance support – Africa. Matthew Tripolone (right), currently the head of development, Australasia, IHG, has assumed the role of vice-president, development, Middle East and Africa. Tripolone helped build a strong pipeline for IHG in the region and played a key role in securing growth of new brands into the region.