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

Synergiq Solutions

Business Development for a state-of-the-art technology platform for online peer-to-peer support. A unique, first-of-its-kind digital solution to support the much needed mental health community, cost effectively and easily scalable.
• Develop strategies to introduce a whole new technology to the burgeoning peer-to-peer mental health segment
• Identify innovative, best-in-class industries, companies, organizations and governments to approach and promote
• Create the most effective direct marketing programs, support material and collateral to effectively communicate and sell this brand new concept

Program Director & Consultant

Lifetimes Living Inc.

Manage the operation of 75 Residents and 50 Team Members including Advanced Assisted Living, a Transitional Care Program and direct responsibility for operating Culinary
•	Focused emphasis on Sales, increasing occupancy to 91%, (+31%) promoting Assisted Living
•	Achieved +28% improvement in Employee Satisfaction Favourability by demonstrating appreciation and rewarding the Team
•	Increased Resident Satisfaction +11% overall in Favourablity with a singular focus on Customer Service
•	Closing the residence (despite its gains) tactfully over 3 - 4 months to ensure all Residents and the Team transition to new residences and jobs successfully using residence fairs, job fairs, individual counselling and Transition Specialists. Virtually all Residents transferred in 7 short weeks.

Executive Director

The Wellington Nursing and Retirement Home, Hamilton

Consulting to bolster Sales in a soft Pandemic market. Focus on CRM and Personal Selling.
•	Scrubbed clean a large dated data base to 70 qualified leads
•	Researched, compiled and connected with a comprehensive list of over 80 social workers and dispatchers in the Hamilton area
•	Expanded marketing to include outdoor signs, new suite models, and more targeted direct mail and social media
•	Securing numerous leads, Respites and Permanents in a short 10 weeks

Senior Sales Consultant - Contract

Spring Living Retirement Communities

Directed a completely new management team in a totally new company that had just bought this Independent Living and Care Residence that was in dire need of renovation and strong leadership.  
•	"Lead an Extensive Renovation Program" beginning with re-furbishing 10 suites and completely overhauling the HVAC system with many more improvements to come  
•	"Achieved 100% Double Vaccination" with all Team Members to be the first of 11 corporate residences
•	"Recommended and Started" a significant switch to incorporate Assisted Living
•	"Fostered leads, won Sales and cleaned the Yardi sales data base", during a difficult period with COVID

Executive Director / Sales Consultant

Sienna Senior Living, The Court at Laurelwood

Managed, directed and lead 45 team members in all aspects of Operations and Marketing of a 117 suite residence for Independent Living in Waterloo, ON.
•	"Started my New Career" in a new industry the week the Pandemic hit. Extremely steep learning curve and COVIT-19 free for almost a year
•	"Scored Very High in Resident Survey" attaining 93% in Respect and 91% in Leadership as the GM
•	"Built a Culture of Caring and Appreciation" for one another as a team and as a residence that is truly home to our Seniors
•	"Lead the Residence" through a serious 6 week COVID-19 outbreak, focusing on the health and welfare of all Residents and Team Members and ensuring maximum infection control and protection

General Manager (Interim)

Glass Marketing

Glass Marketing - Strategic business consulting firm with a focus on Business Development, Marketing and Sales. Contract business with Caplansky’s Deli, Tail Wags Helmet Covers and Synergiq Solutions. 

•	Helped develop and launch new initiatives to promote Indigenous Language / Culture: Challenge4Change and Nanaamwin
•	Created & Managed a new business of customizable helmet covers for Tail Wags, a world first and highly successful with numerous projects worldwide such as the Invictus Games, CMHA & Notre Dame
•	Launched 2 new successful Tail Wags Helmet Covers Product Lines, Nite Brites for night time visibility and Sun Lidz for sun protection
•	Pioneered a comprehensive franchise development and sales plan for Caplansky’s Deli.

Principle / Consultant

Smoke's Poutinerie

Responsible for all aspect of Marketing the Smoke's Poutinerie Brand. Built up the department to a team of four (from one), executing most everything in house based on the corporation's first comprehensive Marketing Plan.

- Created a Cross Country Tour - 17 cities in 17 days with unique attractions in every locale. Included an entourage of 3 of the World's top professional eaters, an RV, 2 food trucks and a crew of 10. It created over 60 media hits and 1 million impressions in Social Media. A video series has just been launched on YouTube which is also enjoying extensive exposure.

- Boosted the "5th Annual Poutine Eating Championship" with top attractions and an aggressive focus on the media. Attendance doubled to capacity. It garnered over 40 media hits (including 4 national TV channels, national radio and front page coverage in the Toronto Star and Sun) and a million Social Media impressions.

- Focus on Social Media as a major strategic initiative, hiring 2 new professionals, adding new analytic tools and expanding to 3 new platforms to increase fan/follower base 40% and engagement 150%.

- Started up a complete annual calendar of franchisee promotions, the company newsletter, new product (LTO) team, SWAG online ordering system, a corporate loyalty program, new menus, a new Facebook page for Smoke's Weinerie...

- Worked closely with Franchisees to maximize their investment and ensure quality Brand standards.

- "Trained" within the company by turning around the Mont-Tremblant location in the first four months of tenure, hiring and training a new manager and assuring top performance.

- Oversaw opening of 2 new MLSE concessions and another at the Ottawa Senators' Canadian Tire Centre.

Director Of Marketing / Operations

Strategic business and marketing consulting focusing on business development. On contract with Gilbert & Davis Communications and Rgenta, Toronto, ON, and several other companies in Canada and the US.

- Pioneered a franchise development plan for Caplansky’s Deli incorporating advertising, public relations, promotion & trade shows	
- Helped secure two major accounts for Gilbert & Davis, having researched and pitched for the businesses.
- Researched and wrote numerous Marketing Plans from medium sized companies to large international brands.
- Launched a new line of snack products into retail grocery from concept to listing into a major retailer.
- Developed, manage and execute a Social Media initiative for a wine accessories company.

Principal / Consultant

"Quiznos @ The Circle,"​ University Circle

The restaurant quickly became Northeast Ohio’s leading store, outperforming #2 by +50% and becoming the #1 store in the Midwest for six years.
- Built-up and managed all facets of the business with a staff of 14 employees 
- Increased sales 12-14% annually vs. other regional stores emphasizing strategic importance on marketing, catering (over 20% of sales) and extensive community involvement.
- Initiated and formed the Northeast Ohio’s franchisee marketing co-op (as President) to include more than 55 members to become one of two successful Quiznos franchisee organizations in the nation.

Owner/Operator

Better Results, Inc., Erie, PA

A nationally recognized innovator in Fund Raising having pioneered Frozen Food as a complete new category.   The nation’s largest marketer of frozen pizza for fundraising. 
- Managed all aspects of the marketing/sales functions including customer service, direct sales, and over 80 sales agents with a staff of 20 people.  Also key senior manager responsible for overall company direction and  instrumental in the creation and implementation of the corporate long term strategic plan. 
- Built and re-organized the sales department to bring on 3 new directors, 1 new manager, 1 new customer service representative and 8 new sales representatives.
- Initiated and directed a new products committee and established an accompanying plan that resulted in re-launching an entire product line and launching 4 new products.

Vice President, Marketing & Sales

Highly effective "Strategic Marketing Consultant & Fractional Chief Marketing Officer" who gets results. Drawing on extensive experience in a wide range of Consumer and B2B industries utilizing the complete gamut of Marketing tools.

	"Results Driven." Managed and executed every aspect of the marketing mix, bolstered by direct sales & sales management to achieve "revenue growth in every business marketed"

	"Marketing Specialist." Concrete experience in all modes of Advertising, Digital Marketing, Social Media, Public Relations, Events, Personal Selling to identify the most cost effective and efficient solutions

	"Strategy First." Complete analysis of the industry, the competition and all levels of the company to work with the Team to develop strong strategies to guide and craft effective plans of action

taplio

The Battle

Arvind Bala

Richard Glass

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?