Appointments: New general manager for Surrey golf club that’s undertaking £25m upgrade

Foxhills Club & Resort in Surrey has appointed a new general manager to drive its ambitious £25 million development project.

Tej Walia, a member of Institute of Hospitality with more than seven years of experience as a general manager, has headed south after successful spells at Macdonald’s Crutherland House and Houstoun House hotels in Scotland.

Walia is also a St. Julian’s scholar – a programme that was formed and developed for people with a passion for hospitality access management training.

After starting his career at Oberoi hotels, Kempinski and Grand Hyatt, the new Foxhills general manager then spent eight years at Hilton developing his management acumen.

Foxhills managing director Marc Hayton (left) and new general manager Tej Walia

The 400-acre Surrey resort caters for a wide variety of leisure pursuits with two championship-standard golf courses and the par-three Manor course, 70 bedrooms, three restaurants, 11 tennis courts, three squash courts, four swimming pools, an award-winning health spa, conference and meeting facilities, a youth club and a weekly cycling club.

But an exciting new era beckons with expansion and improvements to the facilities on the agenda. And managing director, Marc Hayton, is delighted with the recruitment of the new general manager ahead of a major revamp for Foxhills in the coming months.

Hayton said: “The calibre of applicants was uniformly high, but Tej was the standout candidate. As the club enters an exciting period with our masterplan, Tej will provide visible leadership focusing on process and training to the benefit of members, guests and our 250 colleagues.

“It is now a fantastic opportunity for Tej to put his own stamp on a historic resort for generations to come.”

Walia said: “Being appointed as the Foxhills general manager is a huge honour. I am really looking forward to meeting the members and working with the friendly team at the club. I can’t wait to get started.”