Alan Leibman

Alan Leibman is Chief Executive Officer for Kerzner International. He is responsible for the overall corporate strategy and planned growth of Atlantis and One&Only brands worldwide.

Leibman joined Kerzner in 1994 and has held positions of strategic importance including Chief Operating Officer of Atlantis, Paradise Island in The Bahamas, President/Managing Director of the early development of Mazagan Beach Resort, President/Managing Director of Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai, and most recently, Regional President of Europe, Africa and the Middle East. In his most recent role, he not only was overseeing Atlantis, The Palm and Mazagan, but also five of the company’s top-rated luxury resort properties under the One&Only brand located in Mauritius, the Maldives, South Africa and Dubai.

Leibman has been integral to the continued success of Atlantis, The Palm-the 1,539 room, ocean-themed destination resort located at the centre of the crescent of The Palm in Dubai. He was involved in every aspect of the design and development of Atlantis and under his leadership, it has become one of the most iconic resorts in the world. This US$1.5 billion joint venture project was developed with Dubai Government owned, Istithmar World PJSC. Opened 24 September 2008, the resort utilises the 46 hectares site with 17 hectares of water park amusement, further marine and entertainment attractions and a collection of some of the most renowned world-class chefs including Nobu, Giorgio Locatelli, and Michel Rostang. Atlantis, The Palm offers an unprecedented entertainment centre, an impressive collection of luxury boutiques and shops and extensive meeting and convention facilities. It is home to one of the largest open-air marine habitats in the world, with some 65,000 marine animals in lagoons and displays including The Lost Chambers, a maze of underwater corridors and passageways providing a journey through ancient Atlantis.

Created exclusively for the luxury resort market, One&Only Resorts are conceived as hallmarks of excellence. Set in some of the most beautiful locales in the world, each award-winning resort offers guests a distinctive style and personality borne of its local culture, a genuine hospitality and a lively energy that is unrivalled. The properties include One&Only Reethi Rah in The Maldives; One&Only Le Saint Géran in Mauritius; One&Only Royal Mirage and One&Only The Palm in Dubai; One&Only Cape Town, South Africa; One&Only Palmilla in Mexico and One&Only Ocean Club in The Bahamas. One&Only recently announced plans to develop and operate a new One&Only resort in Sanya, Hainan, China, as well as One&Only Montenegro, the first property for the collection in Europe.

Leibman also currently sits on the Board of Directors for Atlantis The Palm Limited. In addition, he is a Director for both One&Only Capetown (PTY) Ltd. and One&Only Capetown Holdings, both One&Only Le Saint Geran Ltd. and One&Only Villas at St. Geran Ltd. and One&Only Reethi Rah. He also sits on the Board of Directors for Resort Co. for Mazagan Beach Resort.

Leibman joined Kerzner International (formally Sun International) in 1994 as Director of Special Projects based in the United Kingdom. In February 1996, he was appointed General Manager for the company’s luxury resort hotel, Ocean Club on Paradise Island in The Bahamas and shortly thereafter, in December 1996, was promoted to Executive Vice President and General Manager, Kerzner International Bahamas. In June 1997, he was named Chief Operating Officer for all of Kerzner International’s Paradise Island properties. In this role, he oversaw the operational development and opening of an US$850 million expansion of Atlantis, Paradise Island, the Atlantis Marina, Harbourside Resort, One&Only Ocean Club and Ocean Club Estates including the Ocean Club Golf Course.

Prior to joining the company, Leibman was with the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company where he started in 1990 as a Catering Manager in Houston. Within one year, he was promoted to Executive Manager of Food and Beverage. Recognising Leibman’s talents, the company re-assigned him to the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company in Australia where he moved through the organisation becoming General Manager at the age of 25, the youngest ever to hold that position. In 1993, he was appointed as Director of Operations for Ritz-Carlton’s Australia division with additional responsibility in 1994, as the General Manager of the Ritz-Carlton, Double Bay.

Leibman was born in South Africa and moved to the United States when he was 11. He grew up in the world of hospitality and worked in his family’s gourmet food and wine companies in Houston, Texas before attending the American Culinary Institute in Hyde Park, New York where he earned an Associates Degree. He also obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Hotel and Restaurant Administration from Florida International University.