Press Release: Interval International
June 19, 2002
MIAMI, FL -- Interval International, a leading global vacation exchange company, today announced the appointment
of Joseph W. Hickman to the position of executive director for Asia. Hickman will be based in the company's Singapore
office and will report to David Clifton, recently appointed managing director for Europe and Asia. He will assume
responsibility for implementing business development activities for Asia, including affiliating resorts with Interval
International's global network, developing and directing all sales and resort marketing strategies, as well as
managing developer client relationships.
Ray Katkish, who directed this region's sales and marketing efforts since 1998, will assist Clifton and Hickman
in the transition. Subsequently, he will be relocating permanently to Florida.
"I had the pleasure of working with Mr. Hickman in the Asia Pacific region for more than five years and look
forward to collaborating with him again in our respective new roles at Interval," Clifton said. "There
is a tremendous opportunity for development in the Asian market and I'm confident that our business will prosper
under his direction."
Hickman has lived and worked in Asia for close to twenty years and has spent his entire professional career in
the hospitality and timeshare industries. He has amassed experience in a broad range of areas including sales
and marketing, finance, resort services, business development and call center operations. He most recently served
as the Asia Pacific area director/vice president for Hospitality Marketing Concepts (HMC), which specializes in
club programs and comprehensive databases for high-end hotels, where he directed all aspects of the day-to-day
operations.
Prior to his position with HMC, Hickman was executive director for Resort Condominium International's (RCI) Asia
Pacific region, which experienced tremendous growth under his management. Among his accomplishments was the design
and implementation of Asia's first points-based timeshare projects.
Hickman was also director of marketing for Hilton Grand Vacations Club (HGVC) in Las Vegas, Nevada. His responsibilities
included all marketing and lead generation for HGVC's first purpose-built 200-unit timeshare resort in Las Vegas,
which generated $30 million in sales in the first year. He also served as corporate director for vacation ownership
at the Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, where he was part of the team that pioneered Hilton's early entry
into the timeshare business.
Hickman earned a Bachelor of Science degree in management from California State University in Long Beach, California.
He has served on a variety of industry boards including the Timeshare Associations of Singapore and Thailand,
the Malaysian Timeshare Federation and the Call Center Association.
For more than 25 years, Interval International has led the vacation ownership industry with innovative products
and the highest levels of quality, service and value complemented by a global network of more than1,900 resorts
in 75 countries. With its international headquarters located in Miami, Florida, Interval serves its developer
clients and over 1.3 million members through 28 offices in 19 countries and employs approximately 1,700 people
worldwide.
Hickman's office will be based at Interval International's Singapore location at 391A Orchard Road #25-02, Ngee
Ann City, Tower A, Singapore 238873. He may be reached by phone at 65 6 839 9510, or by e-mail at Joe.Hickman@intervalintl.com.
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CONTACT:
Chris Boesch 305-666-1861, ext. 7267 chris.boesch@intervalintl.com