Thailand’s Chiva-Som appoints new general manager

Celebrated wellness resort Chiva-Som has announced the appointment of Vaipanya Kongkwanyuen as its new general manager. 

The appointment follows the departure of former general manager Sheila McCann from Chiva-Som.

McCann, who was general manager of the award-winning Thai wellness destination for six years, left Chiva-Som in January to head up medical wellbeing group Lanserhof’s operations in the UK.

Kongkwanyuen’s appointment sees him return to Chiva-Som after a 24-year hiatus. In 1994, during the resort’s pre-opening phase, Kongkwanyuen was head of food and beverage at the property.

His most recent role was as general manager of the high-end Aman resorts group, a position he took on in 2012.

During his time with Aman, Kongkwanyuen he was closely involved in the pre-opening of the group’s resorts in Lijiang and Beijing in China: the Amandayan and Aman Summer Palace.

In addition to pre-openings and food and beverage, Kongkwanyuen’s areas of expertise include marketing, sales and strategic planning. Kongkwanyuen is the first Thai general manager at Chiva-Som since the property opened.