Virgin Hotels Collection, the parent brand of Virgin Hotels and Virgin Limited Edition, has appointed Chris Stevens COO and Rayhan Arif as chief commercial and financial officer.
Stevens has nearly 25 years of hospitality leadership and has held roles across operations, asset management and commercial strategy. Most recently, he served as SVP at Ashford Inc., where he ran asset management and commercial divisions for all asset classes, including the luxury and luxury lifestyle divisions. Prior to that, he was VP, asset management at BRE Hotels & Resorts, a Blackstone portfolio company, where he focused on strategic value creation across a diverse portfolio of hospitality assets. He also held earlier leadership positions at Ashford Inc. His foundation in hospitality was built during a 17-year tenure at Hilton, where he advanced through a series of progressive roles in operations, revenue management and global commercial strategy.
Arif has a long-standing connection to Virgin Hotels as a board observer. His broader Virgin portfolio experience includes board roles with Virgin Mobile Latin America, Grove Collaborative and HiddenLight Productions, along with prior oversight of Virgin Orbit, BMR Energy and both Virgin Group Acquisition Corps. These roles reflect his ability to drive growth across industries—from hospitality and mobile communications to sustainability and space tech, according to the company. Prior to the Virgin Group, he was an investment professional at AEA Investors, a global private equity firm focused on leveraged buyouts and growth capital investments.
“We are thrilled to welcome both Chris and Rayhan into their new leadership roles at such a pivotal moment in our company’s journey,” said James Bermingham, CEO, Virgin Hotels Collection. “Chris’s operational excellence and Rayhan’s commercial and financial acumen are exactly what we need as we continue to scale globally and enhance our brand promise for travelers seeking bold, design-forward, and experience-driven stays.”
