Millennium & Copthorne Hotels CEO Exits After Three Months

Millennium & Copthorne Hotels CEO Jennifer Fox has left the company only three months after taking charge.

The hotel company gave no reason for Fox’s abrupt departure on Friday but reports suggest there was a difference of opinion between her and the chairman and majority owner.

Fox will get a pay-out of $1.3 million (£1 million).

Tan Kian Seng, the current group chief of staff, will take over as interim CEO immediately, a position he held before Fox’s appointment.

Before joining Millennium & Copthorne, Fox served as president of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, where she was responsible for the luxury brand's global hotel portfolio, including the Raffles and Swissôtel brands outside of North America. She also worked for InterContinental Hotels Group and Starwood Hotels & Resorts.

After taking over on June 19, Fox brought in a group chief marketing officer and a head of human resources.

At the time she also said that she was “reviewing the earnings profile and potential of our most important properties” and that she was developing a strategic plan.

Millennium & Copthorne has 137 hotels with more than 39,000 rooms. It is particularly strong in the Middle East and Asia.

Majority shareholder Singapore-based City Developments, which owns 65.2 percent of the company, tabled a takeover offer for the rest of the shares last year but minority shareholders turned it down.