Our recipient this year certainly embodies the criteria for this coveted award, having embraced the many opportunities our industry has addorded them to travel and grow their career across the globe.
A seasoned hospitality professional, they have cultivated a distinguished career across Europe, North America, Africa, Asia and Australia, having commenced their hotel career journey in their native United Kingdom. The bulk of their early career journey was spent ‘rising the ranks’ in increasingly more senior rooms division roles, including those at renowned London properties, Royal Lancaster and Gloucester hotels. With a keen eye for detail, a passion for new hotel openings, well executed food and beverage operations and delivery of superior guest service, its perhaps surprising they once employed a new staff member who, to this point, spends most of his time sleeping on the job and loves his food, albeit being banned from the hotel’s kitchens!
This now highly valued team member has since become somewhat of an in-house celebrity, having also secured a book deal, been featured on television and appears regularly on his own lnstagram account. Of course, reference here being made to the hotel’s charming four-legged canine ambassador, ‘Mr Walker.’
Widely known and respected by many hotel industry colleagues, our Award recipient has a passion for road cycling, sailing, classic cars, travelling and dining and dislikes references made to any hotels that claim to hold a six- or seven-star rating!
Joining the globally recognisable hotel brand that holds care for people at its heart some 36 years ago, hotel general management positions at properties in London, Singapore, South Africa and Australia followed, prior to being appointed as Area Director, then into their current role of Area Vice President – Pacific. This period included what they describe as the immense privilege of greeting and escorting then South African President, Nelson Mandela through the hotel, to a gala dinner being held in his honour.
In addition to these senior roles and responsibilities they were a former Chair of Tourism Accommodation Australia (Victoria) and a TAA National Board Member. They currently serve as a non-executive director for Accommodation Australia and Bicycles for Humanity, a completely volunteer-run, grass roots charity focused on the alleviation of poverty through the provision of sustainable bicycle transport.