Board profiles
Senior Management
Antonio Sardina
Chief Financial Officer
Antonio has over 17 years of finance experience including as CFO for VTP Group that developed a 300 villa project in Spain, Fisher Island Ltd (real estate developer in Spain and Marrakesh) and Royal Resorts (real estate agent) in the property/resort industry.
Christopher Lawton
Sales Director
Christopher first cut his teeth in sales in the 90’s as a broker of financial instruments working for Merrill Lynch Private Banking and Investment Group, Schroders Investment Management, Lazard Frères & Co and Lazard Real Estate Partners; he continued with sales of land for developers in Europe, South America and Oceania and for real estate with Savills PLC's prime property. Subsequently as Savills' ‘Man in the Caribbean’ he was contracted to present product mix and sales expertise to developers of that region and to embed with them for the project duration.
Rupert Gather (LLB, Exeter)
Corporate Development Director
Rupert is a founding partner of Wellstone Partners LLP, and the company's retained Corporate Development Director. After graduating in Law from Exeter University, Rupert spent ten years as an army officer. This included tours in Central America and Eurpoe, and culminated in active service in First Gulf War. After leaving in 1992, he spent 2 years as a management trainee within one of the UK's leading FMCG retailers, followed by 12 years in industry within private family offices, managing investments from a financial and operational perspective in a number of sectors including luxury goods, property, retail, restaurants, business services and manufacturing. The last four years have seen a focus on corporate finance within emerging market and other challenging environments, specialising in deal structuring and debt and equity fund-raising.
Oscar Vickerman
Commercial Director, Havana Energy
Oscar was previously Head of Marketing and Low Carbon Sales at British Energy plc, a FTSE 100 company with annual turnover in excess of £3bn. In this role he was responsible for determining the strategic direction of all market facing aspects of the business. He joined British Energy in 2005 to head up Communications for a major change programme and was appointed Head of Marketing in November 2006. Since his appointment, Oscar led the team responsible for British Energy's transition from national electricity generator to premium low carbon energy supplier. Before joining British Energy, Oscar setup and led information technology company Infinite UK and successfully delivered a major change programme for the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta).
Robert Hunt
Operations Director
Robert is an internationally renowned Master Planner, Development Consultant and Golf Course Architect and is the Managing Director of PGA Design Consulting Ltd, as well as the Development Director of the largest chain of golf hotels in Europe.
Mario Dorta
Cuban Country Director
Mario has over 30 years international experience including 15 years in tourism. He has worked for Habanos cigars, followed by a brief spell in Venezuela before joining Gaviota and the Cuban Ministry of Tourism; he was the Ministries representative in London for 4 years.
Gilbert Guada
Commercial Manager
Gilbert has spent over 25 years gaining his expertise in the travel industry in different countries such as Cuba, USA and the UK and on executive management roles in international corporations such as United Nations, Gran Caribe as well as several high profile travel companies.
Mayra Soñora
Finance & Admin Manager, Cuba
Mayra took her degree in International Tourism in Europe before returning to work for the last 30 years in Cuba in the hospitality sector and tourism. For more than 15 years working exclusively for tour operators and travel agencies. Laterally in the hotel business working for several years as Commercial and then General Manager of several hotels in the Gran Caribe hotel chain. Mayra was our first employee in Cuba and has worked for Esencia for over 6 years.
