HVS Southern Europe Expands Team with New Leadership in Asset Management and F&B

In Brief: HVS Southern Europe has appointed Rúben Paula as Head of Asset Management and Investment and Giovanni Fiorin as Head of Food and Beverage Services, expanding its advisory services across Southern Europe.

Rúben Paula and Giovanni Fiorin – Image Credit HVS

HVS Southern Europe, with offices in Athens, Milan, and Madrid, has appointed Rúben Paula as Head of Asset Management and Investment, based in Iberia, and Giovanni Fiorin as Head of Food and Beverage Services, based in Italy. These appointments expand the company’s service offering and reinforce its regional platform in Southern Europe.

Rúben Paula joins as Director of Asset Management and Investment for Southern Europe. He has over 25 years of international experience in hotel operations, asset repositioning, and business transformation across Europe, the Caribbean, and Africa. Paula has held senior leadership roles at Cedargate, MGM Muthu Hotels, Hipoges (KKR fund platform), JJW Hotels & Resorts, Altis Group, and Vila Galé Hotels. He has served as Chief Operating Officer, overseeing portfolios of more than 50 hotels and leading multi-property turnarounds, brand negotiations, and performance-driven operational strategies.

Paula is also a board advisor to several family offices, providing advice on asset strategy, repositioning, feasibility, and value creation, and supporting the alignment of operational performance with investment objectives for investors, hotel owners, and institutional funds. He holds an MSc in International Hotel Management from the University of Surrey and is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. Paula is a professor of Business Strategy Management, Hotel Development, and Strategic Marketing Management in several Master’s degree and General Management programs. He is a former Vice President of the Algarve Hotel Owners Association (AHETA) and the Algarve Tourism Bureau (ATA).

Giovanni Fiorin has been named Director of Food and Beverage Services at HVS Italy and Southern Europe. Fiorin has more than 25 years of international experience as an advisor, manager, and entrepreneur in the restaurant and hospitality industry. His career began at Disney, followed by senior roles in the Caribbean and cruise industries, and an advisory position in China. Since 2005, he has led the launch and development of several food and beverage projects in Italy, including Café Trussardi in Piazza della Scala and Dry, a cocktail-and-pizza concept in Milan.

Fiorin has held strategic roles at the Excelsior Hotel Gallia, Lungarno Hotels Collection, Due Lune Puntaldia Resort & Golf, and The Wilde Private Membership Club & Restaurant Milan. He is currently involved in projects in the hospitality, restaurant, and bar sectors in European cities and holiday destinations in Southern Europe. Fiorin’s professional background includes delivering management training for Il Sole 24 Ore and serving as a faculty member for the Food Entrepreneurship and Business Planning course at the European Institute of Design (IED) in Florence.

The new team members will work across HVS Southern Europe’s offices in Athens, Milan, and Madrid, in cooperation with the team led by Managing Director Demetris Spanos and Senior Director Ezio Poinelli.