Leonora Halewood
Company: Kiyomi Consulting
Position: Founder & Managing Director
Bio
Leonora is the founder of Kiyomi Consulting, a boutique brand and marketing strategy consultancy specializing in luxury hospitality. She works directly with every client—owners, asset managers, and hospitality institutions, including hotels, resorts, restaurants, spas, and private property developments—to navigate expansion, drive growth, and attract the most discerning clientele.
With more than 15 years of experience in luxury hospitality, Leonora has worked with some of the world’s most iconic brands, as well as pioneering and emerging players, leading and guiding teams in the delivery of innovative and profit-enhancing brand and marketing strategies across key global markets.
Prior to founding Kiyomi Consulting, Leonora was the Vice President of Global Marketing for One&Only Resorts, responsible for the company's entire global portfolio and spearheading the launch of new resorts and products. She was also formerly Head of Brand Marketing at Maybourne Hotel Group in London.
Leonora has successfully managed extensive brand overhauls and new launches, enhancing brand equity and driving revenue growth. She is dedicated to crafting strong brand narratives and understands how to bring them to life across every facet of a business. With a proven track record in developing and executing strategies, she helps brands expand market share and engage new audiences.
She understands the importance of establishing robust brand processes and toolkits that ensure fluidity and innovation while securing company-wide buy-in. By equipping all teams—from new site development, architects, and interior designers to marketing, sales, PR, HR, and critical on-property teams—with the necessary tools, Leonora ensures brand consistency and builds lasting equity.
Based in Dubai and leveraging her extensive regional and global experience, Leonora takes the time to deeply understand her clients. She identifies their current business goals and future aspirations, developing strategic roadmaps to achieve these objectives and helps to meticulously execute them to deliver tangible results.
Geographic Areas
Global
Expertise
Brand & Business Strategy: Defining brand positioning, storytelling, and creative direction to drive commercial success and long-term brand equity, while ensuring the brand is authentically reflected in culture, behaviours, and experiences across every facet of the business.
Building Brand Equity & Navigating Expansion: Guiding clients in building a strong, cohesive brand from inception and ensuring brands expand strategically while preserving and amplifying brand equity.
Brand & Business Strategy – Defining brand positioning, storytelling, and creative direction to drive commercial success and long-term brand equity, while ensuring the brand is authentically reflected in culture, behaviours, and experiences across every facet of the business.
Marketing Strategy: Developing and executing tailored marketing plans, including audits, global campaigns, digital presence, and strategic partnerships.
Brand Experience Ideation: Developing creative concepts for new and existing brands that leadership can share with architects, interior designers, and internal teams to bring the brand to life, whether it be physical spaces, programming, experiential or service-driven.
Brand Training & Education: Partnering with C-suite leaders and key departments to instil a deep understanding of the importance of brand, equipping teams with the knowledge and tools to bring the brand to life in their roles. Providing structured training, workshops, and guidance to align marketing efforts and establish effective marketing functions.
Professional Memberships
ISHC
Past Experience
KIND WORDS FROM GREAT PEOPLE, WHO HAVE WORKED WITH LEONORA
CEO Kerzner International – Philippe Zuber
“Leo is a highly talented marketing and brand professional with a deep understanding of luxury consumers and the hospitality industry. As a strategist, she delivers actionable solutions that solve immediate challenges, drive profits, and offer long-term value, rallying teams to achieve cohesive outcomes. Her ability to produce impactful work—creative, campaigns, tools, and structures—that stands the test of time has positively impacted our business. Any client would be fortunate to have Leo on board, as her expertise consistently drives success, and she is a delight to work with.”
Managing Director Westfort Capital (OKU Hotels) - Piers Bradley
“Leo has an encyclopaedic knowledge about the luxury hotel sector, from brand positioning to the tool kits required to ensure brand consistency and delivery on the ground. Timely delivery of projects, alongside recommendations and highlighting areas to work on outside of the initial scope has been very helpful. I would highly recommend Leo and her team.”
Managing Director, Oetker Collection, The Vineta Hotel – Emanuela Setterberg
“Leo is the best marketing professional I have ever worked with. She is by far the most intuitive, business savvy, creative, and result focused. She can feel and understand how future trends may develop, recognizes what the luxury customer is looking for, and can articulate her opinion and thought process clearly and reasonably. She is fast paced, logical, efficient, and well organized. Her integrity and care for the brand, the company, and the team, are exemplary and inspiring. Her leadership values and style create strong and highly engaged teams. Any company would be fortunate to have her.”
Commercial Director, SLH Bespoke Services / Independently Yours Commercial Director – Mike Bonner
“She is a consummate professional with a thorough understanding of luxury branding and marketing strategy. She is passionate about the hospitality and travel industry and will bring thoughtful strategic advice, creativity and innovation to any brand she works with. I can thoroughly recommend Leonora if you are looking to position your new brand or elevate your existing offering.”
Nigel Taee, Asset Owner & Founder of Independent Properties / Founder and Global Chairman Scape
“We had the pleasure of working with Leonora, and her impact was remarkable. Her ability to identify and address gaps in our setup, alongside her strategic execution to rectify them, was truly impressive. She possesses a rare talent for rallying not only the C-Suite but also our internal teams, fostering a collaborative environment that drives results. Her expertise in strategic brand, marketing and business development is invaluable. Any organisation would be fortunate to have her onboard.”