Thanyapura Phuket in Thailand, which is billed as Asia’s leading sports training, lifestyle and education phenomenon, has implemented two key management moves, appointing experienced Australian marketing professional Belinda Gates as Director of Marketing, while moving Nathaphat ‘Kaye’ Asavathanachart up the chain of command to Director of Communications.
Commenting on the new appointments, Thanyapura Phuket’s President and CEO, Philipp Graf von Hardenberg said “Belinda is a great acquisition for us, She handled major corporate deals in Australia and is multi-faceted in what she does, while Kaye’s been here since 2011 and has been instrumental in our quest to shape and communicate the sweeping vision of health, sporting and educational excellence that comprises the Thanyapura project.”
In a career spanning more than 20 years, Belinda Gates has proven herself an accomplished marketing professional, and she brings considerable experience and energy to the Thanyapura team. She began her career as marketing assistant at Daikyo Australia, a Japanese real estate company that was one of the largest builders of condominiums in the country. There, she was responsible for major corporate deals, implementing plans and setting goals – as well as achieving them.
She then moved to marketing and public relations for an investment group, tasked with building brand awareness while identifying opportunities for growth and areas in which to streamline operations. Ten years later, she branched out on her own, using her contacts and communications skills to venture successfully into property development, restaurants and start-up companies, accruing investments and interests across Australia, Dubai and as far afield as Monaco.
Gates joins Thanyapura seeking a new challenge and a change of scene, believing Asia and Thailand to be fertile fields of opportunity and Phuket in particular ‘an island on the cusp of great things.’
Promoted from Communications Manager to Director of Communications, Kaye Asavathanachart has been part of the Thanyapura team since 2011, utilising her public relations experience and journalistic contacts to help build the ‘unique and multi-layered brand into the success it is today.’
She began her well-rounded communications career at the Bangkok Post, where she wrote a weekly entertainment column. She heeded the call of PR early, leaving the newspaper in 1996 to become Assistant PR Manager and then Manager of Planet Hollywood Bangkok, and then PR Marketing Division Manager of The Emporium, a luxury mall in Central Bangkok and part of The Mall Group.
In 2002, Kaye became an Associate Partner in Bangkok PR firm Public Demand, providing PR and marketing consultancy for a string of major events from product launches, press conferences and exhibitions. Following that stint she was appointed Business Development Director for Creative Inhouse, where she helped drive business development, PR and networking for the branding agency.
Thanyapura Phuket is a 23-hectare luxury sports, health and lifestyle resort in Phuket, Thailand. Set amid the tropical rainforests and mountains of a national park, it is just 15 minutes from some of the best beaches on the island and Phuket International Airport.
The resort has two world-class luxury hotels – the 77-room Pool Wing and a more tranquil, 38-room boutique Garden Wing.
Guests have two restaurants to choose from. The DiVine Restaurant and Cellar, which serves healthy food using regionally-grown organic produce, and the built-for socializing Booster Deli and Bar famous for its smoothies. These are both an integral part of the sporting and health facilities, which include three swimming pools, six tennis courts, a football/rugby field, cushioned running tracks, two performance gyms and fitness studios.
