Respected hotel and golf industry professional, Michael Longshaw has been selected to spearhead the strategic launch of International Golf & Resort Management (IGRM).
The new company, formed to fill an opening in the market for management services to golf facilities, integrated resorts and residential developments, will be formally inaugurated in London next month but it is already involved with projects in Italy, Russia and Spain.
Longshaw, who takes up the position of CEO at IGRM, makes the move from CCA where he served for 14 years overseeing the operation of the company’s UK and European properties while guiding it through a period of unprecedented growth and expansion into the luxury golf club and resort market.
During his tenure he was responsible for the successful redevelopment of Brocket Hall – the prestigious golf club and stately home, the launch of the London, Berlin and Moscow Capital Clubs and the establishment of CCA as market leaders in Russia.
At IGRM Longshaw will employ his experience of the international hotel, resort and leisure industries to deliver management and operational expertise to luxury facilities while establishing the brand and building a global business. He will be based at the company’s headquarters in London as well as at its international offices in Spain, Mexico and Russia.
Longshaw is now making final appointments to the senior management team having assembled an impressive line up of strategic partners in the fields of golf course and interior design, technology, real estate, HR and master planning. Collectively they will establish IGRM as the foremost integrated resort management company providing a level of service and support to owners hitherto not available from a single operator.
Of IGRM and his appointment Longshaw said, “I am privileged to have the opportunity to build a company from the first days of operations. It is my vision to create a network of outstanding clubs and multi-facility golf resorts in partnership with developers and investors that compete with the world’s foremost leisure and golf resorts. By delivering a high quality product through innovative, responsible and profitable management I hope to quickly capture a substantial share of the high end of the market and position IGRM as leaders in the field.”
The management team will afford a range of services including operational, management, marketing and financial as well as providing specific expertise in dealing with distressed properties and assisting with funding when appropriate.
Longshaw added, “We are currently in the final stages of negotiations for long-term management contracts with several prestigious developments in continental Europe and Africa whose owners share our ambition to create superior resorts not yet experienced outside of the USA.”
IGRM is a private company owned by a consortium of equity investors who have considerable experience of management, joint ventures and brand management in a number of fields including real estate and the hotel and leisure industry.
International Golf & Resort Management www.igrm.co.uk