Kathy Khoo S.L.

Kathy brings over three decades of hospitality experience spanning multiple continents. She graduated from Middlesex Polytechnic (now Middlesex University) and launched her career in London across various hospitality institutions.

Drawn to Asian hospitality, she relocated to Malaysia and progressed through several roles, ultimately becoming Hotel Manager at Savv Hotel Penang — a property situated within Georgetown’s UNESCO World Heritage Site. She emphasises that sustainable development ensures long-term viability and believes the pandemic has revealed critical gaps in traditional business models.

Throughout her career in Rooms and Housekeeping, Kathy has mentored numerous associates who advanced within the industry. She advocates for structured training and development programmes, viewing them as essential pathways that make career progression more accessible in hospitality.

Robert De Brito

Robert A De Brito is a hospitality veteran whose career spans over five decades of progressive leadership across housekeeping, laundry, and rooms division operations within some of Malaysia’s most distinguished internationally branded hotels.

Beginning as a washerman in 1968, Robert’s journey through the industry is a remarkable testament to dedication and craft rising through the ranks to lead housekeeping and rooms division operations at properties including The Regent Kuala Lumpur, Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur, Pan Pacific Kuala Lumpur, Hotel Nikko Kuala Lumpur, Sheraton Imperial, The Westin Kuala Lumpur, and others.

.As an Industry Advisor with Asianhotelier.Org, Robert brings an irreplaceable perspective one rooted in more than 55 years of hands-on hospitality experience across virtually every dimension of rooms and operational management. His career embodies the values at the heart of the platform: that excellence in hospitality is built from the ground up, through discipline, continuous learning, and an unwavering commitment to standards.

Franklin Gorden

Franklin Gorden is a Rooms Division professional with over 25 years of progressive experience across Front Office and Housekeeping operations within internationally recognised hotel brands. His career tells a compelling story of deliberate reinvention — having spent his first twelve years in Front Office management before making a purposeful transition into Housekeeping leadership, a path he has pursued with distinction for over fourteen years across some of Kuala Lumpur’s most prominent properties.

Starting out as a waiter in Kuching, Sarawak, Franklin made his way to Kuala Lumpur where he steadily built a career that would take him across flagship properties including Traders Hotel by Shangri-La, Hilton Kuala Lumpur, Berjaya Times Square, Pullman Kuala Lumpur City Centre, and PARKROYAL COLLECTION Kuala Lumpur — a journey that reflects both his ambition and his willingness to grow beyond the familiar.

As an Industry Advisor with Asianhotelier.Org, Franklin contributes deep operational expertise across the full rooms division spectrum — and a career story that demonstrates what consistent professionalism, adaptability, and commitment to craft can achieve over the course of a distinguished hospitality career.

Muzhaffar Rashman

Muzhaffar Rashman is a hospitality professional in Rooms Division specialising in both Housekeeping and Front Office operations. Beginning as a Bellman he advanced steadily through roles as Guest Service Officer, Team Leader, and Assistant Manager, building strong capabilities in guest engagement, service recovery, and team leadership along the way. A deliberate move into Housekeeping as an Assistant Manager further broadened his perspective, deepening his knowledge of cost management, quality assurance, and cross-departmental collaboration.

Muzhaffar has since held leadership roles within Marriott International, contributing to both reopening and pre-opening phases across properties with large room inventories and sizeable teams. Most recently, he has taken on the challenge of leading the pre-opening of the Front Office and Residence division for Hyatt Regency Kuala Lumpur at KL Midtown.

As an Industry Advisor with Asianhotelier.Org, Muzhaffar brings the perspective of a practitioner who has experienced the industry from the ground floor up. His passion for mentoring future hoteliers and his commitment to bridging operational excellence with people development make him a valuable contributor to building a stronger, more capable generation of hospitality professionals.

Shanmugam Thangavelu

Shanmugam Thangavelu is a seasoned hospitality executive with over 25 years of experience managing high-end resorts and hotels across Malaysia, Singapore, and the Seychelles. His career reflects a deliberate and steady progression through the full spectrum of hotel operations from Guest Service Manager and Director of Housekeeping to Director of Rooms, Executive Assistant Manager, Director of Operations, and ultimately General Manager a journey built within some of the world’s most respected luxury and international brands including Four Seasons, Raffles, Westin, and Marriott International.

In senior operational leadership at The Westin Langkawi, Shanmugam navigated the resort through the pandemic while driving consistent improvements in guest satisfaction and revenue. His subsequent track record as General Manager  delivering strong financial results alongside a high Associate Engagement Index  reflects an ability to balance commercial performance with people leadership, meeting the expectations of owners, guests, and teams in equal measure.

A holder of a Degree in Economics from Universiti Utara Malaysia, Shanmugam brings to his role as Industry Advisor with Asianhotelier.Org a wealth of cross-brand, cross-market experience and a deep commitment to people development and operational excellence.

Mohammad Ikmal Mohamad Supuan

Mohammad Ikmal Mohamad Supuan is a Housekeeping professional with 20 years of progressive experience across internationally branded hotels in Malaysia. Beginning his career as a Housekeeping Supervisor n 2005, Ikmal steadily advanced through the various leadership positions before stepping into Executive Housekeeper positions where he has operated with distinction ever since.

His Executive Housekeeper career spans a strong portfolio of properties including RHR Hospitality, Alila Bangsar Kuala Lumpur, Four Points by Sheraton Chinatown Kuala Lumpur, and Angsana Teluk Bahang Penang — with notable pre-opening experience at both Alila Bangsar and Four Points by Sheraton Chinatown, where he built housekeeping operations from the ground up. Educated at Hospitality College in Selangor and the Shangri-La Academy in Zhuhai, China, he brings both formal training and deep practical expertise to his leadership of housekeeping teams.

As an Industry Advisor with Asianhotelier.Org, Ikmal contributes the grounded perspective of a specialist who has devoted his entire career to the craft of housekeeping —making him a highly practical voice for the next generation of rooms division professionals across the region.