özgür Cengiz has been appointed as the Tourism Group Wellness Development Director for the JOALI brand.

özgür joins the team with a stellar career spanning over 20 years in the hospitality and wellness industry. He also played a major role in the opening team of Richmond Nua Wellness, Turkey’s pioneering wellness resort. Following this, he moved to Jumeriah in Azerbaijan, where he was appointed to oversee the property’s operations and spa offerings.

özgür’s Journey in the Maldives

özgür’s journey in the Maldives started all the way back in 2014. He started out at One&Only Reethi Rah as Director of Spa by ESPA & Fitness. Following this, özgür joined the pre-opening team of JOALI brand to open JOALI Maldives as the Resort Manager. This was a major opportunity as JOALI Maldives is the first art-immersive resort in the Maldives. His lifelong passion and expertise in wellness opened the path for him to open the first well-being island in the Maldives as general manager of JOALI BEING. özgür managed to build a brand recognised globally as one of the most celebrated wellbeing brands.

özgür also served as the ambassador for the Global Wellness Day Project in the Maldives for 7 years. He is also one of the Global Spa & Wellness Awarded judges! His creative approach and insight regarding new trends and his solution-focused approach inspire all those around him.

Wellbeing is an integral part of the identitiy of JOALI as a brand, for our guests and hosts alike. özgür’s extensive knowledge and pasion will truly redefine the wellness offerings for the brand from a broader perspective to take new heights as the JOALI brand portfolio expands, says Tourism Group Managing Director of Gürok Group, Hakan öztürt.

In his new role, özgür will overlook the wellness of the tourism group Gürok, the parent company of JOALI. In addition to being responsible for innovative activations, özgür will also oversee the expansion and strategizing of the wellness offerings at JOALI BEING and JOALI BEING Cure.