O catarinense Abel Castro ocupa a posição de CDO (Chief Development Officer) na Accor para as Americas e Caribe. Com mais de 25 anos de experiência na indústria hoteleira, é o principal responsável por definir e implementar as estratégias de expansão para as marcas dos segmentos Premium, Midscale and Economy, entre elas: Pullman, Swissotel, Novotel, Mercure, Ibis, ibis Styes & ibis Budget.

Antes de ingressar na Accor, desempenhou diferentes funções nas áreas operacionais de hotéis independentes. Trabalhou ainda como consultor hoteleiro, em São Paulo, e atuou como Diretor Executivo do FOHB – Fórum de Operadores Hoteleiros do Brasil, entidade que reúne as principais redes hoteleiras presentes no Brasil.

Sua formação inclui o General Management Program, na The Wharton School da University of Pennsylvania, nos Estados Unidos, e possui o MBA em Marketing pela ESPM/SP, além de ser graduado em Turismo e Hotelaria pela UNIVALI/SC. Concluiu, ainda, cursos de extensão sobre Gestão Hoteleira e Turismo em Sydney, na Austrália e em Palma de Mallorca, na Espanha. Na área acadêmica, lecionou na graduação e pós-graduação dos cursos de hotelaria do Senac/SP, Universidade Anhembi Morumbi/SP e UNIVALI/SC, além de ser professor convidado do curso de Desenvolvimento de Negócios Imobiliários da Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV/SP).

Abel Castro, from Santa Catarina, holds the position of Chief Development Officer (CDO) at Accor for the Americas and Caribbean. With over 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry, he is primarily responsible for defining and implementing expansion strategies for brands in the Premium, Midscale, and Economy segments, including Pullman, Swissotel, Novotel, Mercure, Ibis, ibis Styles, and ibis Budget.

Before joining Accor, Abel held various roles in the operations of independent hotels. He also worked as a hospitality consultant in São Paulo and served as Executive Director of FOHB – the Brazilian Hotel Operators Forum, an entity that brings together the major hotel chains present in Brazil.

His education includes the General Management Program at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, USA, an MBA in Marketing from ESPM/SP, and a degree in Tourism and Hospitality from UNIVALI/SC. He has also completed extension courses in Hotel Management and Tourism in Sydney, Australia, and Palma de Mallorca, Spain. In academia, Abel taught undergraduate and graduate courses in hospitality at Senac/SP, Universidade Anhembi Morumbi/SP, and UNIVALI/SC, and was a guest professor for the Real Estate Business Development course at Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV/SP).