Gili Lankanfushi Appoints New Resort Manager and Director of Food & Beverage

Gili Lankanfushi welcomes Matthew Senyard as the island’s new resort manager, whilst Rodrigo Buanafina has been promoted to director of food and beverage.

Matthew has worked with IHG Hotels & Resorts for the past fourteen years in various roles across his native Australia. Ahead of his movement to Gili Lankanfushi, Maldives, he worked at the Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley as operations manager.

In his new role, he’ll be responsible for the day-to-day running of the resort’s forty-five overwater villas, whilst also working closely to promote the resort’s ethos of sustainability, wellness, and barefoot luxury, in partnership with Nicolas Khairallah, general manager of the resort.

An active scuba diver, he will no doubt be looking forward to taking advantage of the Ocean Paradise Dive Centre, located close to world-renowned diving sites including Mantra Point.

Rodrigo Buanafina initially joined the resort in May 2018 as F&B manager and has been promoted to director of food and beverage. Rodrigo leads a 43-person team to deliver personalised and unique culinary experiences to the resort’s guests, including the launch of dining experiences such as a ‘Brazilian Churrascaria theme night’ and ‘Dining for the Senses’.

Rodrigo will continue to enhance the resort’s ocean to plate philosophy, looking after the resort’s wide variety of dining and destination options, including modern European-Maldivian fusion, Japanese seafood, lantern-lit feasts on the beach, and private sunset cruises.

Featured Image: Matthew Senyard, resort manager (left), Rodrigo Buanafina, director of food and beverage (right)