Kisawa Sanctuary, located on Benguerra Island in Mozambique, is delighted to announce two key executive appointments: Mathias Gerds as General Manager and Silvia Manganaro as Director of Sales and Marketing.
With over 20-years leadership experience representing some of the world’s most iconic hotel brands, Mathias Gerds will lead the Kisawa Sanctuary team – strengthening the resort’s commitment to building a bond between people and place, life and land. Originally from Germany, Mathias’ portfolio spans Asia, Europe and the CIS and with it, a world-class collection of properties. His brand experience includes the Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas, St. Regis Hotels & Resorts and Kempinski Hotels.
Mathias has ambitious plans for growth, “I’ve already been impressed by the level of personalized luxury and detailed attention to the guest experience at Kisawa. In addition to the resort’s roots in Mozambican culture and sustainability, I find this new role incredibly rewarding.”
Italian-born Silvia Manganaro will lead the sanctuary’s commercial team, facilitating Kisawa’s drive into wider markets and spearheading the property’s marketing and sales strategy. With more than 17 years of expertise and an excellent track record in achieving high hotel deliverables, she has represented a selection of ultra-luxury boutique properties across Europe and most recently within the leadership teams at AMAN Venice and Il Salviatino in Tuscany.
“I joined Kisawa because I fell in love with the project. It is a landmark for those seeking a different type of luxury: a luxury that has its roots in the culture and the people of the island, offering a genuine approach to protecting and preserving the incredible nature that surrounds the resort – perfectly blending in rather than interrupting” comments Silvia.
Kisawa Sanctuary is 300-hectares of beachfront calm and coastal forest on Benguerra Island, Mozambique. The Sanctuary offers guests the utmost privacy across 5 kilometers of Indian Ocean coastline and enables them to support marine research and conservation, via its sister property Bazaruto Center for Scientific Studies, Africa’s first permanent Ocean Observatory.
