Home | HICA - Africa's Premier Hotel Investment Conference

HICA 2010

AFRICA’S PREMIER HOTEL INVESTMENT CONFERENCE
HICA is an established business to business networking platform geared towards profiling Africa as a viable tourism investment destination

SPEAKERS

FERNANDO SUMBANA

TITLE
Honourable Minister
Department of Tourism - Mozambique

Fernando Sumbana, married father of two children, is the Minister of Tourism of the Republic of Mozambique since 2000.

He graduated in Economics with an Honours Degree from the Eduardo Mondlane University, in 1981, and in 1989 with a Masters Degree in International Business Administration in the USA, where he was awarded the “Summa cum Laude” Diploma.

Throughout his carrier, which began in 1976, he held various management positions in the State Institutions, having negotiated several protocols, commercial, and trade and investment agreements.

He was awarded a Diploma of Honour for his dedication, skills, competency and spirit of sacrifice over the years of his services to the Government of Mozambique.

MARTHINUS VAN SCHALKWYK

TITLE
Honourable Minister
National Department of Tourism – South Africa

Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk is a lawyer and political scientist by profession. He was born on 10 November 1959 and hails from Polokwane. His academic qualifications include a B Proc degree as well as a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree and Master of Arts degree in Political Science from Rand Afrikaans University (now the University of Johannesburg). He is married to Suzette and they have two children, Christiaan and Maryke.

Minister van Schalkwyk has served as a Member of National Parliament since 1990. He later, in 2002 to 2004, also held the helm of the Western Cape Province when he took up office as the Premier of that Province. In 2004 he assumed the dynamic role of South Africa’s Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism and in 2009 he became the Minister of Tourism, an office which he currently still holds.

His decorations, amongst other, include Chairperson of the Aviation, Travel and Tourism Industry Agenda Council of the World Economic Forum (WEF) for the 2010-2011 period. In February 2010 he also chaired the inaugural meeting of the T.20 Tourism Ministers, and successfully hosted the UNWTO Summit on Sport, Tourism and Mega-events in Johannesburg. Minister van Schalkwyk has subsequently become one of the thought leaders in this burgeoning industry which saw South Africa successfully hosting the FIFA 2010 World Cup. He indeed embodies the traits that befit a true African leader.

MICHAEL MABUYAKHULU

TITLE
MEC for Economic Development and Tourism
Kwazulu-Natal

Michael Mabuyakhulu holds an Honours Degree in Management and a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration from the University of Wales. He is currently working on his Masters in Business Administration. He had also completed an Advanced Business Programme (NQF 7) through the Durban University of Technology.

In 1982 Mabuyakhulu began his career as a Production Manager for Mintex on the north coast where he was elected as a President of the Engineering Sector of the Metal and Allied Workers Union of South Africa. His effective leadership on the factory floor soon saw him taking up a full time position in the trade union movement. In 1984 he was appointed as the Regional Secretary of the powerful National Union of Metal Workers of South Africa (NUMSA) in northern KwaZulu-Natal –the position he held until 1994.

As a trade unionist, Mabuyakhulu developed a reputation as a skillful negotiator and efficient administrator amongst businesses in Richards Bay on the north coast of KwaZulu-Natal. His role in the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) saw him playing an increasingly active role in the African National Congress. Using his organizational skills from the trade union movement experience, he was instrumental in securing the support of communities within and around Greater uMhlathuze area, and many parts of KwaZulu-Natal for the African National Congress.

During the 1980s Mabuyakhulu also played a leading role in the peace process in the province – being instrumental in facilitating political negotiations between the African National Congress and the Inkatha Freedom Party. After the first democratic elections in 1994, he left the trade union movement and became a Member of the Provincial Legislature. Between 1994 and 1999 he was Convener of the ANC Caucus within the Economic Development and Tourism Portfolio Committee. He also served on the Public Accounts and Premier’s Portfolio Committees.

In 1999 he was appointed to the Cabinet of KwaZulu-Natal as MEC for Economic Development and Tourism – becoming the youngest Member of the Executive Council. Mabuyakhulu is always recognized as an MEC “who gets things done” and, during his term, a number of major economic projects within the province coming to fruition.

He also led the process of securing the support of the National Cabinet for the establishment of the Dube Trade Port as a logistics hub for the country. Today that multi-billion rand project has become a reality with the construction of this facility that features the industrial development zone and the state of the art King Shaka International Airport taking, taking place on the north of Durban to be ready for business prior to the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

In 2003 he was appointed as MEC for Public Works and held this position until he became MEC for Finance and Economic Development after the 2004 elections. However, in November the same year he moved to Local Government, Traditional Affairs and Housing. Like in his previous portfolios, Mabuyakhulu demonstrated that he had broad shoulders to handle these two challenging departments. In this portfolio, Mabuyakhulu again proved his mettle when his was the first department, nationally, to transform the institution of traditional leadership. This was a model that was later followed by other departments in other provinces. With the economic portfolio expected to be at the centre of accelerating socioeconomic transformation in the province and the country, the Premier, Dr Zweli Mkhize acknowledged Mabuyakhulu’s genius and excellent track record of delivery – hence he has entrusted him with this slightly altered Department of Economic Development & Tourism. Ironically, this portfolio included the tourism function when Mabuyakhulu first inherited it from the current President of the Republic, Mr Jacob Zuma who had then been redeployed to national government as Deputy
President.

Born in the rural Ngwavuma in the far north of the province and residing in the Greater uMhlathuze on the north coast, Mabuyakhulu is married.

ALLAN MOORE

TITLE
Chief Executive Officer
COMPANY
Board of Airline Representatives of South Africa

Allan Moore has over 34 years experience in the Airline industry working all over the World, from the North of Canada to South Africa and almost everywhere in between. This vast experience has given Allan a solid understanding of the intricacies of the Airline Industry.

Allan has had the privilege of working for a number of including South African Airways, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and WestJet Airlines. Allan has also consulted to many Airlines in the field of Information Technology, Business Intelligence, Business Process and Project and Change Management.

Allan is currently the CEO of the Board of Airline Representatives of South Africa, the industry body representing all foreign based Carriers and 1Time Airlines.

ANDREW ROGERS

TITLE
Deputy Chief Executive Officer
COMPANY
Hospitality Property Fund

Hospitality Property Fund Limited is a property loan stock company which invests in hotel and leisure properties. The Fund is a publicly traded company and was listed on the main board of the JSE Limited (‘JSE’) under the Financials – Real Estate sector in February 2006.

The Fund listed with a portfolio of sixteen properties valued at around R1,0 billion and the portfolio has since grown to twenty-six properties with a market value of approximately R3,9 billion. The Fund was established with the aim of offering unit-holders an investment vehicle with exposure to the hospitality sector through the ownership of hotel and leisure properties.

Hospitality is the largest multi-branded hotel owner in South Africa and has built strong partnerships with well-recognized local and international hotel brands. Through these long-term partnerships, the Fund leverages the value of its portfolio.

The Fund’s profits are distributed in full as debenture interest, free of tax and linked unit-holders are consequently taxed according to their individual tax status.
Andrew has more than 20 years’ operational hospitality and tourism experience. Prior to joining Hospitality in January 2007 as chief operating officer, he was a director of operations with Southern Sun Hotels. During his career Andrew has been with the City Lodge Group and Cullinan Hotel Group. Andrew was appointed deputy chief executive officer of Hospitality in February 2009.

Andrew is married to Angela and has a teenage son and twin boy and girl aged 10 years old, Andrew enjoys bow-hunting, mountain biking, golf and scuba diving.

ARTHUR DE HAAST

TITLE
Chairman
COMPANY
Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels

Arthur de Haast is the Chairman of Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels, a global real estate services firm focused exclusively on hotels and hospitality providing acquisition and financing advice, valuations, investment sales and asset management for luxury hotels, select service and budget hotels, smaller hotels and pubs, from single assets to large portfolios and mixed-use developments.

In the last five years the firm completed nearly 4,000 advisory and valuation assignments and more sale, purchase and financing transactions than any other hotels real estate firm in the world…worth over $30bn.

Arthur has extensive experience having led a wide range of both transactional and advisory assignments. He is a regular commentator on the global hotel investment market, speaking frequently at major conferences, and is often quoted in the world’s leading business publications.

BABETTE MÄRZHEUSER-WOOD

TITLE
International Franchise Lawyer, Head of Hotel and Leisure Group
COMPANY
Field Fisher Waterhouse

Babette is a partner at European law firm Field Fisher Waterhouse. She is recognised as one of Europe’s leading experts for international hotel and leisure franchising and heads the firm’s Hotel and Leisure Group. She advises on international franchise agreements, franchise disclosure and registration and franchise based joint ventures. Babette has more than 20 years’ international franchise experience in Europe and emerging markets including India, Russia and China. Chambers Global legal directory names her as a leader in international franchising.

Babette originally qualified as a solicitor in Germany and advises on English and German law. She speaks English, French, Spanish, German and Russian.

BEKS NDLOVU

TITLE
Chief Executive Officer & Private Guide
COMPANY
African Bush Camps

Beks was born in a rural village called Lupane, which is between Victoria Falls and the historic city of Bulawayo in Zimbabwe. Having spent eight years of his life growing up in a village and spending time with old African folk, Beks gained an in-depth insight of his cultural background and quickly increased his knowledge of the bush.??Beks attended a typical old, military-type boarding school; Plumtree, which is a small school close to the Botswana / Zimbabwe border. Beks’ love for the bush grew from spending time camping, hunting and exploring in the wilderness surrounding the school grounds. At a young age he took up Falconry as a hobby amongst many other sports.

After completing his Cambridge advanced level studies, he went straight into the wilderness and started working as a trainee safari guide in the Gwayi Valley on the outer perimetres of Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe and at the same time he spent time canoeing the Zambezi River, where he was soon awarded the Prestigious award of River Guide of the year in 1997.??Beks’ went on to join Wilderness Safaris in 1997 and worked as a guide and camp manager in various National Parks including Hwange, Gonarezhou, Matusadona and Mana Pools. He also hunted extensively for National Parks and other safari companies particularly controlling problem animals causing havoc in the local communities.

In 1998 he was awarded his full Professional Guides Licence.??Beks has travelled extensively in the USA, Europe, Australia and New Zealand and is a very keen photographer and writer, having some of his pictures and articles published in well known travel and outdoor magazines such as Getaway, Travel Africa and the British magazine Country Life. His specialty is in tailor made safaris, and guiding small select groups and families through-out Africa's remote places. Whether he takes you through Botswana's Okavango Delta, Namibia's desert sand dunes, or down the mighty Zambezi on a walking and canoeing safari, his passions and excitement for the bush and its wild life influences all of his guests that travel with him in search for the authentic African experience.

Recently labelled by Conde Nast Traveller magazine as ‘one of the country’s most successful black safari operators’, Beks Ndlovu is proving to be one of the most enterprising new players emerging in the Tourism Industry today.

BRETT ABRAHAMSE

TITLE
Director
COMPANY
Terrace Africa

Brett Abrahamse has worked within the African real estate and asset management industry for the past 7 years. He is a director of Terrace Africa - a specialised consultancy company with focus on assisting corporates expand their operations into Africa.

He previously held the position as Head of business development for Liberty Properties, whose listed and unlisted real estate assets grew to over $5.5Bn during his tenure.

Brett holds a BComm Honours degree in Financial Analysis from the University of Stellenbosch. Despite his relatively short career, he has travelled extensively to over 15 African countries in search of new business opportunities and also runs a dedicated African equity fund under his Terrace Africa brand.

CHRIS HART

TITLE
Chief Strategist
COMPANY
Investment Solutions

Chris Hart joined Investment Solutions as head of market and economic research in August 2007 and has since been appointed Chief Strategist. He was previously a senior financial market economist with Absa Capital.

Hart’s main research focus is analysing financial markets domestically and abroad with the aim of advising the investment team on enhancing portfolio returns and identifying portfolio risk.

As chief strategist, Hart is also responsible for client liaison and engagement with the broader Alexander Forbes group. He has presented papers at numerous conferences in SA and abroad and is also a company spokesman on economic issues and financial markets.

Hart studied at the University of the Witwatersrand and is a volunteer with St John Ambulance, of which he is the South African commander.

CHRISTINE ENGELBRECHT

TITLE
Head: Tourism Strategic Business Unit
COMPANY
IDC

Christine is a qualified Chartered Accounted and completed her articles and became an audit manager at Coopers & Lybrand (now PricewaterhouseCoopers). She joined the Industrial Development Corporation in 1999. Over the past 12 year she gained experience in various business units including Agro Industries, Tourism, Workout & Restructuring and Corporate & Structured Finance. She was appointed as the Head of the Franchising Strategic Business Unit in October 2007 and was transferred as Head of the Tourism Strategic Business Unit from 1 April 2011

CLIFFORD ROSS

TITLE
Chief Executive Officer
COMPANY
City Lodge Hotels

Clifford Ross has been the Chief Executive Officer of City Lodge Hotels since 2002. He was appointed General Manager of the first City Lodge in Bryanston in 1987 and became the hotel group’s Managing Director in 1994. He has been in the hospitality industry for 32 years. Under his leadership the City Lodge Group has grown to its current 52 hotels and 6,440 rooms, from 35 hotels and 3,791 rooms in 2003. With an average occupancy rate of 79%, the group is the envy of the industry.

CLIVE SHEPHERD

TITLE
Managing Director
COMPANY
RSL & DSA Architects International

Clive is the Managing Director of RSL & DSA Architects International, with offices in Johannesburg, Dubai and Lisbon. The practice, which was established in 1985, since then, its primary focus has been the Hospitality & Leisure Industry.

They have been involved in the Design and Construction of a wide spectrum of Hotels, ranging from Budget Hotels, Casinos, Luxury Hotels, to Safari Lodges and Luxury Resorts, with projects throughout Africa, the Indian Ocean Islands, the Middle East, Europe, Russia, Cuba and South America.

Active participation in the international arena, has exposed the practice to the major international hotel operators, standards and current hotel design trends.
The practice currently has 11 Hotels, totaling 2300 Keys under construction in Africa , the Middle East, Mallorca, Azerbaijan and Russia.

DAVID CLASSEN

TITLE
Director, Development
COMPANY
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts

Based in Toronto at Four Seasons corporate headquarters, David is responsible for the company’s development efforts within Africa and the Middle East. David’s tenure with Four Seasons began in 1999 when the company had 47 hotels. Today, the company operates 86 properties in 35 countries, including five hotels in North Africa. The company is aggressively pursuing new development opportunities in numerous countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

DAVID FROST

TITLE
Managing Director
COMPANY
Tourism Strategy Company

David Frost is the founder and Managing Director of The Tourism Strategy Company – a bespoke consultancy specialising in the two core areas of destination positioning and enterprise competitiveness. Formerly Fuller Frost & Associates, the Tourism Strategy Company is able to draw on unparalleled senior executive experience in both the private and public sectors. The Company delivers tailor made solutions that drive increased tourism revenues and profitability to its clients, throughout Southern Africa.

David has an extensive background in sector strategy, both from a public and private sector perspective. A trained economist he worked for the union movement prior to democracy and thereafter headed the Corporate Strategy Division of the Premier Group as well as serving on the Boards of a number of subsidiary companies.

Following the unbundling of the Group in late 1998, he was seconded as Special Adviser to the South African Minister of Environmental Affairs & Tourism, Pallo Jordan, and later to Minister Valli Moosa. David led the process of establishing the vibrant public private partnership that currently underpins and funds tourism in South Africa. Having overseen the process that negotiated funding and structures, he chaired the South African Tourism Marketing Partnership Committee (SMPC) and was responsible for developing the marketing strategy, to position South Africa internationally as a tourism destination. He then headed up the public-private sector team that implemented the international marketing effort.

After completing his one-year contract as Special Adviser to the Minister, David joined Tourvest, as Sales Director. After six months he was promoted to Managing Director of the Inbound Division. At that stage the division comprised 13 companies. David was responsible for crafting a successful synergistic divisional strategy. David resigned from Tourvest prior to the acquisition of the company by the Imperial Group in June 2001.

David established Fuller Frost & Associates in September 2001. The company has worked with Thompsons Tours, Arabella Sheraton Hotel Group, Wilderness Safaris, Newmark Hotels and Thebe Tourism and TEP on the private sector side. In terms of destination positioning clients include: Namibia, KwaZulu-Natal, The Eastern Cape and Zambia. Fuller Frost was re-branded and The Tourism Strategy Company in 2011 and is currently contracted to develop a National Tourism Growth and Development Strategy for Namibia as well as Tourism Growth Strategy for Inhambane province in Mozambique.

David Frost was appointed by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) as its Advisor in Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands in January 2007. The WTTC is the peak private sector body, representing the top 100 companies in tourism internationally.

DERECK JOUBERT

TITLE
Chief Executive Officer
COMPANY
Great Plains Conservation

Dereck Joubert, National Geographic Explorer in Residence, conservationist, filmmaker and presently CEO and owner of Great Plains Conservation an eco tourism initiative that has high end lodges in Botswana, Seychelles and Kenya.??

Dereck has won 6 Emmy Awards and a prestigious Peabody for his film work, has been inducted into the American Academy of Achievement alongside the likes of Bishop Tutu, Colin Powell, and the World Ecology Award, (alongside Prince Charles, Richard Leakey, for achievements in conservation. He has also been awarded the Presidential Order or Merit by the president of Botswana, His Excellency Ian Khama.??

He is the founder and chairman of the Big Cats Initiative with National Geographic, an effort to serve as an emergency intervention to stop lions, cheetah and leopards from going extinct. Part and parcel of this is a firm but controversial belief that trophy hunting of big cats is damaging populations, something that Dereck first wrote and spoke about in 1990.??

As CEO of Great Plains, Dereck describes the company as a hybrid between an NGO and an eco tourism company, and has pledged all his and his partners dividends for life from Great Plains to go back in to the company for its conservation effort and to grow its land influence from today's 1.5 million acres to 10M in 5 years.

DON ELLIOT

TITLE
Director
COMPANY
Recreation Africa Group

Born in Kenya, Don started his hospitality career working for African Tours and Hotels in East Africa as a trainee hotel manager. He developed a close affinity and a passion for hotels & the tourism industry in Africa. Qualified as a Chartered Accountant in UK and as a Certified Hotel Administrator in USA, he has spent the last 30 years working in various positions in the hotel industry around the world.

He worked for ITT Sheraton & later Starwood hotels in: Hawaii, Mainland USA, Australia, Egypt, Africa, the Middle East & India. From 1995 he was based in Cairo as VP Finance for Africa, Middle East & was focused on expanding Starwood’s portfolio of hotels throughout the region. Then, he was promoted to General Manager - Sheraton Pretoria & Area manager Sub Sahara Africa. As well as managing this prestigious hotel, he was responsible for evaluating new hotel development opportunities in the area. For the past 2 years, Don was Regional VP for Starwood’s India office, leading Starwood’s expansion in this fast-developing region and overseeing a total of 34 owned, managed and franchised operating hotels, including 10 new hotel openings in India, Bangladesh & the Maldives.

He is currently an independent hospitality consultant and a director of Recreation Africa Group, which owns & operates Carnivore Restaurant, Misty Hills & Kedar Hotels. He is currently living in Pretoria with his wife, where he indulges his passion for the hotel business and wildlife conservation and is keen to play a leading role in expanding the tourism & hospitality business throughout East & Southern Africa.

DR EITAN KAROL

TITLE
Chief Executive Officer
COMPANY
Louis Karol

Dr Eitan Karol is the CEO of Louis Karol, South Africa’s largest BBBEE architectural and interiors practice. Eitan Karol is an architect, historian and author. Louis Karol is responsible for the design of some of South Africa’s best known buildings, including the Victoria Wharf shopping centre and the Cape Grace at the Waterfront and Sandton Convention Centre. In recent years, Louis Karol are best known for their roll-out of some seven Holiday Inns across southern Africa and their work for Southern Sun, most particularly the Garden Court in Sandton. Eitan Karol is a great believer in well-designed, slightly idiosyncratic affordable hotels.

ELIZE PETERSON

TITLE
Manager: Government & Protocol Relations
COMPANY
Air Namibia

I started my career in Marketing and pursued Public Relations until 1997 when I joined Air Namibia. After working with the company for two years I took up the position of systems administrator where after I was appointed as the Human Resources Manager in 2003.

In 2010 we realised that it was necessary to start breaking the barriers between the Company, Government and private Sector. Subsequently a Government Travel Business unit was formed and I was appointed to head this strategic office.

As Manager Government and Protocol relations, I have facilitated various partnerships with the Namibia Tourism Board, Namibia Planning Commission, The Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Foreign Affairs as well as the Ministry of Information and I am sharing many platforms where challenges of national importance is being addressed in more cohesive manner.

I am privileged to have been a founding member of the Namibia National Olympic Committee which enabled me attendance of 5 x Olympics and various Commonwealth Games in capacities ranging from Chef-de-Mission to invited guest. In addition to the above I sing and have participated in various World Choral Events. The magnitude and size of these events unleashed the enormous tourism possibilities that exist within the Olympic Charter and the World Choral Games.

PROF. ERNIE HEATH

TITLE
Professor – Department of Tourism Management
COMPANY
University of Pretoria

Ernie Heath is a Professor in the Department of Tourism Management at the University of Pretoria in South Africa and also served on the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Education Council. Prior to joining the University, he was Professor and Director of the Institute for Planning Research at the University of Port Elizabeth and Deputy Executive Director of South African Tourism. Recognition that he has received for his tourism work include the Skål International Presidential Award for his contribution to the development of tourism in South Africa; a Fellowship from the Tourism Society of Britain; the Chairman’s Award from the Indian Ocean Tourism Organization (IOTO) for compiling IOTO’s first strategic plan; a United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Themis Award; a Laureates Award from the University of Pretoria for Innovation in Teaching; recognition as a Destination Champion by Destination Marketing Association International; and a Best Teacher Award from the University of Applied Sciences, Bremen, Germany.

EWAN CAMERON

TITLE
Chief Executive Officer
COMPANY
Lonrho Hotels

Lonrho Hotels is working towards fulfilling its objective of establishing easyHotels and luxury Lansmore hotels in Africa’s high growth destinations. Ewan has worked with some of the world’s strongest hotel brands; LeMeridien, Holiday Inn, Grosvenor House, Crowne Plaza and InterContinental. After establishing the new business function within Intercontinental Hotels Group Ewan progressed to lead franchise operations for Europe, Middle East and Africa, before focusing on Africa. Ewan is credited with re-establishing Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Tanzania, before assuming the role of Managing Director, African Sun Hotels – where he led the non-Zimbabwe business – prior to joining Lonrho.

FLORIAN RUSS

TITLE
Marketing Director
COMPANY
Hotels.com

Florian Russ is Marketing Director at Hotels.com. In this role he is responsible for planning, budgeting and implementing marketing activities in the strategically important EMEA Emerging Markets, incl. South Africa, Russia, Poland, Turkey, Israel and the Middle East and the German-speaking markets Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Before taking on the role of Marketing Director, he spent a four year tenure as Marketing Manager for the Hotels.com and Expedia brands. Russ was born in the German city of Hannover and holds a Masters Degree from the University of Nottingham in Marketing. He speaks English and Spanish fluently.

GEOFF ELSKE

TITLE
General Manager
COMPANY
AA Travel

Making it easier for people to travel is Geoff Elske’s passion and mission. He believes that every South African should have the opportunity to travel and go on holiday and to first explore our wonderful country and then to venture forth across our borders.

Travelling and visiting new places enriches a person as one learns about new places and you interact with different people and learn about new cultures. Delight your olfactory senses, imbibe new sights, sounds and tastes – and best of all – no one can take the travel experience away from you.

With the backing of a powerful and trusted international brand like the AA, Geoff and his team are continually championing the needs of the traveler – focusing on offering advice, safety for the traveler, choice of product (to suit their budget and holiday needs), providing products and services through various channels, to make it easier for the traveler to acquire information or to purchase travel related products and services.

With the launch of the AA’s online travel agency, consumers are only “a step away” (travel experience), “a click away” (AA Holidays / AASA), or “a call away” (082THEAA), from arranging their next holiday.

GEORGE COHEN

TITLE
Managing Director
COMPANY
Saxon Boutique Hotel, Villas and Spa in Sandhurst, Johannesburg

Born in Bothaville in the Free State and then schooled at St. Andrews in Bloemfontein, George Cohen grew up with a love for the hospitality industry. Over time and through extensive study and work experience, this developed into an intimate and intricate knowledge of the way hotels operate. Working extensively in Europe, England and Africa, George developed a reputation for translating his vision for excellence and world-class service into reality. This was no more apparent than during his 20 years with Trusthouse Forte in England, five years in Kenya with Block Hotels and seven years in Rwanda with the Intercontinental Group.

His innate understanding of hotel guests and the ability to meet their needs have garnered countless awards under his tenure. The most prestigious being awarded “Best Boutique Hotel in the World” for the Saxon Boutique Hotel, Villas and Spa in Sandhurst, Johannesburg in South Africa where he was employed six years ago as General Manager and then promoted to his current position as Managing Director.

GLEN PHILLIPS

TITLE
Managing Executive: Tourism Development & Marketing
COMPANY
SANParks

Glen Phillips is the managing executive for tourism development and marketing at South African National Parks (SANParks). His responsibilities include overseeing the sales, marketing, reservations, operations and business development of twenty-two parks, throughout South Africa.

Glen is also an active member of the South African travel and tourism sector, representing SanParks in various industry bodies. At present he is a member of the TBCSA Board and he also represents SANParks in the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee.

GILLIAN SAUNDERS

TITLE
Head of Grant Thornton Advisory Services and Principal of Grant Thornton Strategic Solutions
COMPANY
Grant Thornton

Gillian is the Head of Grant Thornton Advisory Services and principal of Grant Thornton Strategic Solutions

With over 25 years of industry experience, Gillian is considered to be a top authority on tourism in Africa. She joined Grant Thornton’s tourism consultancy in 1988 and has been heading it since 1997.

Gillian carries out and heads project teams for market feasibility studies, financial viability assessments, macro tourism planning, economic impact assessments, valuations, tourism strategies, marketing strategies and other general tourism and market research.

Gillian was appointed Head of Advisory Services for Grant Thornton in 2009.

GRAHAM WOOD

TITLE
Managing Director
COMPANY
Southern Sun Hotels

Graham was educated in Durban, where he matriculated in 1986 from Durban High School. He is a qualified Chartered Accountant and furthered his studies at various academic institutions in South Africa and abroad.

Graham began his career in the hospitality industry in 1996 when he was hired by Sun International as a project accountant at the Sun City Resort. He successfully worked his way up the ladder within Sun International over the next 12 years ranging from Financial Manager of Operations to Chief Financial Officer, to Director of Operations at Sun City Resort in 2003. In June 2007, he became the Divisional Director Resorts of Sun International limited. This position required strategic and operational leadership responsibilities for the African hotels including sales and marketing. Graham Wood was appointed Managing Director of Southern Sun Hotels on 1 September 2008.

Graham is a member of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants. He is married with three young daughters and enjoys spinning, gym, mountain biking and golf.

IAIN MEAKER

TITLE
Executive Manager - Travel
COMPANY
Comair

Iain Meaker has been involved in the Travel and Tourism sector since 1994. Starting off with his own ground transportation business, Iain continued working in various aspects of the Inbound Wholesale Tourism sector, which included domestic leisure distribution, as well as the running of overland tours and safaris. His experience has also been within the retail and wholesale travel environments, specialising in outbound tour operator wholesaling. Having joined Comair in 2007, Iain has been responsible for the strategy and implementation of a domestic and international online travel business and ground ancillary sales program, as well as being involved in a number of core airline distribution roles.

JAMES McGEE

TITLE
Owner
COMPANY
Prompt Hospitality Development

James McGee have spent a considerable time working in the hospitality industry and is currently the owner of Prompt Hospitality and Leisure Developments. James spent 14 years at Sun International as the Head of Development where after he was VP, Development – Africa at Kingdom Hotel Investmensts.

JAN VAN DER PUTTEN

TITLE
Vice President, Operations
COMPANY
Hilton Worldwide

Jan Van Der Putten has enjoyed a long and distinguished career with Hilton Worldwide having started with the company in 1984 at Hilton Rotterdam in Holland.

He has served in a number of management roles at Hilton hotels around the world including Malaysia, Denmark, Sweden, Belguim, The Netherlands and Ethiopia in Africa. In 2006, his extensive operational experience led to a Cluster Manager role covering nine hotels in Benelux, Northern Europe, before he was appointed to his current position in March 2012.

As Vice President, Operations for Africa & Indian Ocean, Van Der Putten leads operations across Africa & Indian Ocean overseeing operational activity at the company’s 12 hotels within his region. A key focus is to support Hilton Worldwide’s ambitious business expansion plans for the continent. Based in Johannesburg, Van Der Putten is also responsible for business operations at Hilton Sandton.

He is a graduate of The Hague Hospitality Management School and speaks Dutch and English fluently.

JOHN DOWNS

TITLE
Senior Associate
COMPANY
Field Fisher Waterhouse

John Downs is a Senior Associate at Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP, a law firm with offices in Brussels, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, London, Manchester, Munich and Paris. The firm's Hotels & Leisure Group has a great deal of experience in the hotels & leisure sector from managing the roll-out of branded leisure concepts and franchise operations to advising operators, institutional investors and financiers on the acquisition, disposal and funding of hotel & leisure businesses.
After completing his LLB at Rhodes University, John moved to London and trained as a solicitor. He has been with the firm since 2004.

JOHN WATSON

TITLE
Operations Director
COMPANY
African Hotels & Adventures

Educated in Belgium and after having completed his Management training with Trust House Forte, John Watson came to South Africa in 1981 where he worked in various Management roles in the hospitality industry with Holidays Inns and Protea Hotels.
In May 1990 he joined the Peninsula All Suite Hotel as General Manager and when the hotel became part of Three Cities he eventually became Western Cape Regional Operations Director for the group.
In 2006 he took up a Management position in Dubai and returned to South Africa two years later. He is now the Operations Director for African Hotels and Adventures. John Watson is married to Jennifer and has two grown up children.

JOOP DEMES

TITLE
Chief Executive Officer
COMPANY
Pam Golding Hospitality

Joop Demes is the founder shareholder and CEO of Pam Golding Hospitality, a division of Pam Golding Properties that specialises in the facilitation of sale and investment transactions in the hotel, lodge and guesthouse industry together with operator procurement services, the raising of finance, hotel feasibility studies and tourism research assignments. This division has now passed the $750 Million mark in terms of capital value of transactions facilitated in the Southern African hospitality industry. With over 25 years of hands-on experience in the region, Joop has proven to be one of the foremost authorities on financial and investment aspects of the hospitality industry in Southern Africa. He is the Managing Director of Pam Golding Hotels, which he started in 1997, formed Pam Golding Lodges and Guesthouses in 2006, and Pam Golding Hospitality and Tourism consultants in 2007.

JOSE VENTURA

TITLE
Vice President Business Development Asia, Pacific, Middle East and Africa
COMPANY
Preferred Hotel Group

Jose’s expertise ranges from resort development, real estate planning and analysis to hospitality sales and marketing. Prior to joining Preferred Hotel Group, Jose was with Interval International, a leading vacation membership and exchange company. Past positions include stints at Pam Golding Property Group, the major luxury real estate broker in Africa, and some of the world’s leading hotel brands including Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, Ian Schrager International, Marriott, Ritz Carlton and Le Meridien.

Recognized as a leading consultant in resort development and a sought-after speaker at industry conferences having been published in top academic journals and trade magazines.

KAMIL ABDUL-KARRIM

TITLE
Managing Director
COMPANY
Pam Golding Tourism & Hospitality Consultancy

Kamil Abdul-Karrim heads Pam Golding Tourism & Hospitality Consulting, a specialist consulting division providing strategic consulting services to the hotel industry in South Africa. Kamil has trained as an accountant at UNISA and spent his earlier career in accounting and finance developing into CFO for two global companies in the service environment. He then embarked on post-graduate studies completing a PDM-Public Policy Development and Administration at Wits University in 1996 and went on to achieve his MBA with Bond University in Australia during 1998. He is currently the Managing Director of Pam Golding Tourism & Hospitality Consulting as well a Non-Executive Director of the JSE listed Hospitality Property Fund.

KENNETH COLLINS

TITLE
Director, Collins Properties and CEO, Des Roches Island, Seychelles
COMPANY
Collins Properties and Des Roches Island, Seychelles

Kenneth is a Director of the Collins Property Group, a private property holding concern he’s run with his brother, Murray, for over ten years. The company specializes in the development of commercial and industrial property both in the local as well as international property market. Warehousing and distribution facilities have been a core area of the Group’s expansion over the last 5 years.

In addition, the Group is involved in various hotel operations in different countries, the most recent being the purchase and refurbishment of Desroches Island Lodge, a luxury 5-star resort in the Seychelles.

The Collins Group is run in a very “hands on” and practical fashion by a young, entrepreneurial team who are passionate about their business. Every endeavour is made to come up with tailor made property solutions for each client. As a result, Kenneth and Murray have grown the business to over R1,5 billion in property assets and the Group now owns property in seven different countries around the world. They are party to a number of joint ventures with various individuals and institutions world wide.

KEVIN TEEROOVENGADUM

TITLE
Director
COMPANY
Actis

Kevin is based in Johannesburg and joined Actis in 2007. Kevin focuses on SADC origination and South African developer partnerships. Prior to joining Actis, Kevin worked at LoitaCapital, a pan-African advisory investment/merchant banking boutique, where he advised and assisted clients in fundraising activities across Africa. He worked on Loita’sprincipal investment activity in the financial services sector, in respect of the acquisition and establishment of banking and leasing companies. Previously Kevin also worked for Ernst & Young, Deloitte and KPMG in Mauritius. Kevin holds a BSc in Economics, an MBA and a Master of Science degree (MSc) in Finance from the University of Leicester.

KEVIN WALLACE

TITLE
President and Chief Executive Officer
COMPANY
Jebel Ali International Hotels, Dubai, UAE

President and CEO, Jebel Ali International Hotels , based in Dubai, UAE. Jebel Ali own and operate five luxury resort hotels in the UAE with over 700 rooms and have signed multiple third party management contracts for luxury resorts in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Maldives, Seychelles , India and Vietnam.

Mr. Wallace has over 25 years experience in the hospitality industry in all major leisure real estate markets around the world where he has conceived, developed, operated and managed numerous mixed use hotel and integrated resort projects involving residential real estate, serviced apartments, commercial centers, golf courses and marinas.

He was also President of Centara International Management, Thailand ‘s leading hotel group and one of the largest resort management companies in the world where he orchestrated the growth of the company four fold over a three year period and from Thailand alone to ten countries. Prior to that he was President and CEO of Wyndham Worldwide ‘s NorthCourse Leisure Real Estate Solutions , President and CEO of Grand Circle Cruise Lines and President and CFO of Mirage Resorts and Hotels.

KIRSTEN GOOSEN

TITLE
Development Director - Africa
COMPANY
ReardonSmith Architects

Kirsten joined ReardonSmith Architects in 2000 shortly after moving to London from her native South Africa.

ReardonSmith is an award-winning global leader in hotel and resort design and, during her time in London, Kirsten led some of the practice’s most prestigious projects in Europe, the Caribbean and Africa, combining her skills in interpreting and developing the brief with her extensive experience of hotel operational design. Kirsten returned home to South Africa in December 2010 to establish ReardonSmith's first international office in Cape Town, offering ReardonSmith’s expertise to the African and Indian Ocean regions in her capacity as Development Director – Africa.

LAURENT BOUCHACOURT

TITLE
Director: Special Projects
COMPANY
Basil Read

Laurent Bouchacourt is Director: Special Projects at Basil Read – a Division which specializes in developing, engineering, financing and delivering complex projects such as Design, Build, Finance and Operate projects (i), Turnkey/EPC projects (ii) and Property Development ventures(iii). Laurent has been with Basil Read since 2003 in business development and property development positions. He previously worked for the French Ministry of Finance in South Africa and as a Relationship Manager at BNP-Paribas in France. He is a graduate from the Institute of Political Studies of Paris and majored in Finance, Tax and International Economics. He previously lived in Brazil for 8 years, is a keen fly-fisherman and convinced that South Africa is “alive with possibilities”. He is currently steering the development of a 3* star hotel in Belfast (Mpumalanga) – Rolling Hills – in partnership with local hotel operators, hospitality specialists and funders.

LINDA PAMPALLIS

TITLE
Chief Executive Officer
COMPANY
Thompsons Africa

Linda manages all operational and planning aspects of Inbound
operations. Thompsons Africa supplies fully inclusive tour arrangements in South and Southern Africa comprising airport meet-and-greets, transfers, fully escorted group tours, group series tours, guaranteed departure seat-in-vehicle tours, incentive and special-interest tours, and full FIT services with representation.

Thompsons Touring and Safaris is the wheels side of the business and it has representation in all major centres in Southern Africa. These include Johannesburg, Hazyview, Malelane, St. Lucia, Hluhluwe, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Cape Town, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Mauritius and
Namibia. It has its own fleet of vehicles with 51 in South Africa alone and has 62 permanently employed tour guides & drivers on its staff.

Thompsons Holidays is an outbound tour operator selling holidays to South Africans for travel worldwide, and this includes a very large domestic programme which encourages the South African holiday-maker to enjoy their own country and region. Destinations include all of the surrounding regional countries and anything from South America to Hong Kong.

With over 30 years in the industry, Linda is highly regarded and
respected, and has an in-depth understanding of tourism. Her commitment to the promotion of tourism to Southern Africa has established her as a "voice of authority" on tourism/travel and trends in South Africa, and she acts in an advisory capacity to government and industry bodies, including the Uganda Wildlife Authority.

Linda is committed to sustainable tourism, and has taken on the
responsibility of encouraging and fostering sustainable business practices through her business, by identifying establishments that are also committed, with the Sustainable Tourism logo in its brochure. Thompsons Africa is in partnership with the Green Leaf Environmental Standard, and is associated with Boundless Southern Africa, the brand that showcases transfrontier conservation areas, a boon for tourism in Southern Africa, which has increasingly been recognized as one of the single most important vehicles to sustainable African economies.

Linda's understanding of the global travel business, including buyingpatterns of the various nations of the world, enables her to contributesignificantly to the planning and selection of products within the Group's travel portfolio. She has travelled extensively and has a network of international business contacts and friends.

She has a close relationship with South African Tourism, not only in this country, but with all their international offices, and also works closely with the Department of Environmental Affairs & Tourism.

LINDY ROUSSEAU

TITLE
Chief Marketing Officer
COMPANY
Singita Game Reserves

Lindy Rousseau grew up in Cape Town, where she went to school in Bergvliet, and spent 5 years completing a BSc Honours Degree majoring in Food Science at the University of Stellenbosch (US).

After working as a development chemist for Colman Foods for two years, she enrolled for a Marketing Diploma at Damelin, and on completion of her studies, made the move across to marketing.

Rousseau then spent a further 1O years with Colmans, and having reached the position of Marketing Director, she joined the tourism industry in 1998 when she accepted the position of Marketing Director at the newly opened Cape Grace Hotel in Cape Town. In 2003 she started her own successful business as a marketing consultant specializing in the tourism industry. In 2008, Rousseau was offered the position as Chief Marketing Officer of Singita Game Reserves, overseeing the Sales, Marketing and PR of the group across the globe

LORRAINE JENKS

TITLE
Owner
COMPANY
Greenstuff

Hotelstuff was launched in 2001, by Lorraine Jenks who, for 15 years, was the Contracts and Purchasing Manager of a major hotel chain. After years of being patted on the head and called "The Little Green Queen", Lorraine has launched the "Greenstuff" website. On Greenstuff you will find specific products and services that minimize negative impacts on the environment and human health. Each product is assessed from cradle to grave: raw materials, manufacture, transport, usage and disposal.

MARC CAVALIERE

TITLE
Vice President of Global Sales Development
COMPANY
South African Airways

Marc Cavaliere is the Vice President of Global Sales Development and Alliances for South African Airways. In this position, Cavaliere is responsible for leading several departments within SAA’s commercial division including airline alliances, e-commerce, sales planning, corporate sales, distribution, customer call centers and aero-political affairs. A 30-year airline industry veteran, Cavaliere joined South African Airways as head of the North American market in 2006. Prior to that, he served as vice president of sales and marketing distribution for Spirit Airlines. During his career, he has also held numerous sales and airport management roles, both domestically and internationally at American Airlines and Pan Am. Cavaliere is based at South African Airways’ World Headquarters and resides with his family in Johannesburg.

MARK HAVERCROFT

TITLE
Vice President Operations
COMPANY
Lonrho Hotels

An experienced hotelier with over 25 years experience in the hospitality industry. His travels have taken him to all parts of Africa and internationally into Europe. Added to this Mark has overseen and been responsible for a large number of green field & brown site buildings and refurbishments of hotels. A key focus on service levels and ensuring profitability has seen excellent results in all area of operations.

MARTIN WIEST

TITLE
Chief Executive Officer
COMPANY
Tourvest Destination Management

Martin Wiest was born in Munich, Germany and moved to South Africa in 1983. Martin began his career in tourism in in 1987 when he worked as the Senior Tourism Promotion officer for SAT. Following this, Martin joined Tourvest in 1988 as a Tour guide and Vehicle Dispatcher for Welcome Tourism Services (WTS). In 1990, Martin’s responsibility grew dramatically as he became the Manager of Transport Operations for Southern Africa. Finally, in 1999, Martin became WTS’s Operations Director for Southern Africa before being his promotion to Divisional Director. In 2009, Martin left WTS to become the COO of Tourvest Inbound Operations for 5 years before assuming his current role of CEO of Tourvest Destination Management.

NEELS HEUNIS

TITLE
Executive Head of Hotels Sector
COMPANY
AECOM Davis Langdon Africa

Neels started his career at Davis Langdon as a student in training in 2001. Upon completion of his BSC Hons degree in Quantity Surveying in 2004, he relocated to London to pursue his love for travel and new cultures.

Since 2004 Neels was part of the Davis Langdon cost management, ‘Hotels’ team, where he was later promoted to Associate of the team, focussing on delivering structured and cost effective solutions for operators and hotel developers alike.

Having been part of a number of key hotel developments in both Europe and Africa, he returned to South Africa in 2009 and was soon promoted to Executive, leading the Hotels, Sports and Culture Sector.

He is currently responsible for developing and managing the Africa region’s business in this sector, in support of the firm’s overall growth strategy. His experience includes master planning, cost and project management, development of procurement solutions and project forensic auditing.

He is a professional member of the Royal Institute for Chartered Surveyors and the Council for South African Quantity Surveyors.

NEIL FRASER

TITLE
Group Sales Director
COMPANY
Tsogo Sun

Neil started his career as a teacher for 5 years where after he joined Holiday Inn in 1998. When the Holiday Inn group was acquired by Southern Sun he fulfilled various positions and held the position of Director:Sales and Marketing for Southern Sun Hotels for 7 years. Neil is currently the Group Sales Director at Tsogo Sun.

NEIL GEORGE

TITLE
Vice President, Acquisitions and Development
COMPANY
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc.

Neil heads Starwood’s Development team for the Middle East & Africa, having moved to Dubai from the Starwood Divisional office in Brussels. He is responsible for planning and executing the growth of all nine distinct Starwood brands.

Within his 20 years in the hotel industry and an international career spanning India, the US, the UK and the Middle East, Neil has held roles in hotel operations, consultancy, corporate finance and development. Prior to joining Starwood, Neil was based in London for almost 10 years in various roles as an industry specialist with Deloitte and Arthur Andersen and has advised most major industry players. During this time, he worked on major hotel M&A deals, provided corporate finance advisory services, strategic advice and directed market and development feasibility work in most markets across Europe, Middle East and Africa. His career started as a corporate management trainee in hotel operations with the Taj group of hotels.

Neil holds a Masters degree in hospitality management from Cornell University, New York and enjoys skiing, scuba diving, Squash and Latin music.

NIC GRIFFIN

TITLE
Chief Executive Officer
COMPANY
The Thornybush Collection

Born and educated in England and Grahamstown, in 1965 Nic went to Hotel school in Bath England, followed by practical training at The Intercontinental in Geneva and Cape Hotels in South Africa in the late 60’s. Joining AVIS in 1972, Nic concluded his career with Avis in 2007 as General Manager Marketing for the final 12 years of his 32 years service to the Avis brand. In 2007, Nic was appointed CEO of Inzalo Investment Holdings, T/A The Thornybush Collection of fine Game Lodges. Beginning with just five Lodges, the Group now operates 10 Game Lodges, with over 160 beds in the four and five star segments, nine of which are in the game rich Thornybush Nature Reserve and one in the North Eastern Sabi Sand.

NICK SEEWER

TITLE
Chief Executive Officer
COMPANY
The Pepper Club

Nick Seewer is a veteran of the South African hospitality industry with over 21 years experience as the Managing Director of Orient Express Africa - which includes the Mount Nelson in Cape Town in its portfolio. He has also managed international luxury hotel properties in countries, among others, Switzerland, England, Kenya and Botswana.

NIKKI FORSTER

TITLE
Partner/Director
COMPANY
PwC

Currently the leader of the Hospitality and Gaming industry specialisations within South Africa. Nikki Forster’s role incorporates:

Servicing a number hospitality and gaming clients in Assurance
Directing internal thought leadership and knowledge gathering on industry topics
Hosting Hospitality Club seminars for clients, which provide thought leadership on topical issues
Coordinating activities within the hospitality and gaming industries, to include feasibilities, due diligence, tax advice and more
Identifying industry targets and targeting opportunities firm-wide

Nikki serves as the risk management partner for her Assurance group (TICE) and has presented training in South African Auditing Profession Act legislation and IFRS training. She was also a member is the PwC Gender Advisory Council steering committee, which was established in South Africa in 2006 and is actively promoting the empowerment of women within the firm.

Nikki, joined Price Waterhouse (PW) in Birmingham, UK in 1988 where she trained and qualified, initially in the small businesses group. She was then promoted to manager in 1993 before moving to South Africa and PW Johannesburg in 1994, where she was admitted to partnership in July 1999.

PAUL BANNISTER

TITLE
Chief Executive Officer
COMPANY
Ignite

Paul Bannister, who has run several major advertising agencies (including TBWA Hunt Lascaris) in South Africa and who heads up Ignite (a strategic consultancy), is a management, marketing, branding and communication specialist who has extensive media, broadcasting, mentorship and public speaking experience.

During 2009 and 2010, having served as a Board Member since the organisation’s founding in 2002, he served as the Acting Chief Executive Office of the International Marketing Council of South Africa (and was responsible for the management of the reputation of the Nation Brand) during the critical build up to the 2010 World Cup.
Paul is also the founder of the Welcome Tourism movement (1999), and has served on the boards of SA Tourism, SATSA and the TBCSA. Paul regularly facilitates Tourism Leadership Dialogues, the industry’s premier platform for discourse and debate, for the National Dept of Tourism.

In addition to a number of commercial clients including SA Tennis, SA Football and M-Net, Paul is currently working with the Government of Haiti as part of their Nation reconstruction programme and is an active member of the National Arts Festival Board with responsibility for the marketing portfolio.

PIETER DE BRUIN

TITLE
Industry Sales
COMPANY
FNB Commercial

Pieter de Bruin started his career in the jewellery packaging industry as Marketing Manager for an international jewellery packaging company. He then moved into banking in 1997, starting with ABSA where he held various positions in franchising, retailing, production and tourism. Among his achievements, De Bruin has been a major force in encouraging banks to focus on the tourism industry. He sits on the board of the Tourism Business Council of South Africa and holds a B. Com degree in Marketing Management as well as an MBL degree from UNISA.

ROSE McCLEMENT

TITLE
Owner / Director
COMPANY
Design Monarchy

Owner of Design Monarchy, an Interior Design and Décor company based in Cape Town. For 25 years I’ve worked with upmarket residential and hospitality clients. We were awarded 4 & 5 star hotel projects in Ireland, some of which were award-winning venues. During the economic downturn, we noticed many local 3 & 4 star hotels had extremely basic and dated interiors – the domestic tourist sadly had to settle for function over form. This in mind, we launched the “Drab to Fab” campaign – aimed to educate and assist the local hospitality industry. With a view to deliver “Luxe for Less” - introducing luxury elements to established hotel interiors, whilst considering budget constraints. We believe the domestic tourist to be an invaluable commodity who should not have to settle for second best. The African hospitality market is our target market. I am also a published décor column writer and the editor of The Design Tabloid, a popular Proudly South African design & decor blog.

RICK TAYLOR

TITLE
Chief Executive Officer
COMPANY
The Tourism Business Company

Rick Taylor have gained invaluable experience in the Travel and Tourism Industry over the past 18 years. He bought the Hout Bay Manor in 1994 and sold the hotel to an international investor in 1997 where after he established the first Convention Bureau in SA (Cape Town). Rick also held the position as the Head of the National Convention Bureau at SA Tourism and is currently the CEO of The Tourism Business Company.

SADDIQ ADAM

TITLE
Chief Executive Officer & Private Guide
COMPANY
Kwazulu Natal Growth Fund

Saddiq has a Masters degree in Applied Economics. He spent a number of years in Kwazulu Natal where he worked in a number of departments such as Human Settlements, Agriculture and Treasury. He is currently the CEO of the Kwazulu Natal Growth Fund.

SHINGI MUNYEZA

TITLE
Group Chief Executive Officer
COMPANY
Zimbabwe Sun Limited

Trained as an Accountant with Ernst & Young, Shingi left as an Audit Manager after 8 years to join Colcom Holdings as the Group Finance Manager and part of its listing team. In 1996, Shingi joined Zimbabwe’s third largest Advertising Agency, CM&A as Finance Director. He spent 4 years in the Agency before joining Cresta Hospitality as the Group Sales & Marketing Director, dedicating the first 2 years to re-branding Cresta from Best Western to Cresta Hospitality throughout Southern Africa. He was later appointed Commercial Director for operations in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, and later Botswana, where Shingi assumed the responsibility of Sales, Marketing & Finance Director.

In August 2002, he led a consortium of Zimbabwean businesspersons to acquire a 35% stake in Zimbabwe Sun Hotels, and assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer where he is presently driving the Group’s expansion and re-branding strategy to a Pan African hospitality group in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Shingi Munyeza is currently the Chairman for Zimbabwe Tourism Authority and has won the Zimbabwe Tourism Personality of the year award for three years consecutively. He was also awarded the Silver Jubilee award for Image Management and Tourism Management in 2006. In 2006, he was the first runner up for the Director of the Year Award.

Shingi is a holder of a Postgraduate qualification in Accounting, Marketing, Advertising and Hotel Management. He enjoys Golf and fishing in his spare time.

STEUART PENNINGTON

TITILE
Chief Executive Officer
COMPANY
South Africa – The Good News

“You don’t describe the future you see, you see the future you describe” is Steuart’s personal mantra. Steuart is co-editor and publisher of 9 books on South Africa and Africa. He has delivered over 450 talks on SA’s global competitiveness both here and abroad.
The South Africa – The Good News website, www.sagoodnews.co.za website is read in 185 countries around the world with approximately 60 000 users. In March 2009 Steuart launched Africa – The Good News (www.africathegoodnews.com). He has 10 000 Twitter and Face book followers.
Steuart’s “passion” is understanding South Africa and Africa. He researches and presents the facts ‘behind the story’ and which often aren’t included in media reports.

He believes that: “The facts speak for themselves ….rumours, conventional wisdoms and journalists speak for each other.”
In addition:
He is an advisor to www.forgood.co.za on the safety and education challenges facing South Africa. He has registered a Section 21 called TogetherSchools to encourage corporates to evaluate schools to be able to “benchmark” the impact of their interventions.
In 2004 he adopted a Crèche in Soweto which looks after 150 small and vulnerable children.

In 2007 Steuart was awarded the “Public Service Entrepreneur of the Year Award – 2007” from the African Heritage Society and nominated for the Rhodes Alumni Award 2007.He lives in the midlands of Natal with his wife and two daughters, is an active sportsman and lover of adventure.

TIM STOYLE

TITLE
Director
COMPANY
Savills – Hotel and Leisure

Tim provides valuation advice to the leisure sector with a particular focus on hotels, serviced apartments, health and fitness, pubs, bars, restaurants and private schools. He has been a specialist hotel valuer for fourteen years and his valuations are mainly used for secure lending purposes, but also company accounts, acquisitions and disposals.
He is also adept at carrying out individual property and portfolio appraisals, operating concerns, investments and development valuations together with hotel rent reviews. His work is mainly concentrated in the UK, mainland Europe and the Caribbean.

Tim joined Savills in 1998. Prior to this he worked for Matthews & Goodman and Edward Symmons and Partners. He has been a member of the RICS since 1992.

VINCENT JOYNER

TITLE
Managing Director
COMPANY
Zazida Institute of Entrepreneurship

Vincent Joyner grew up in Ireland and worked in France, South Africa, Switzerland, the USA and the UK. He studied undergrad at GMIT (Ireland) and post-grad at ESSEC (France) and Cornell (USA).Vincent worked with Accor for 18 years, leaving in 2009, having held CEO positions for different companies/divisions within Accor (including locally Formula 1 SA, Mercure Hotels SA, Director of RTG Zimbabwe). He founded the non-profit Zazida Institute of Entrepreneurship (www.zazida.org) in 2010 blending the theory and practice of business in year-long and short courses, at higher education level, to develop sustainable high-growth entrepreneurs throughout Africa.

WAYNE TROUGHTON

TITLE
Chief Executive Officer
COMPANY
HTI Consulting

Wayne has been involved in the hospitality, leisure and tourism industries for 22 years. He has held operational management positions in 5-star hotels for 10 years in the United Kingdom and South Africa working for international management companies such as: Three Cities Hotels, Sun international and Forte Hotels. He began consulting in 1999 with Grant Thornton in South Africa providing specialist consulting services to a diversity of clients in the hotel, tourism, leisure and property development.

In 2003 Wayne left Grant Thornton as an Associate Director to start his own specialist Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Consulting Company focusing on assignments in Africa and the Middle East.

Wayne has worked on more than 100 assignments in 31 countries namely: Angola, South Africa, Benin, Botswana, DRC, Gabon, Ghana, Lesotho, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Bahrain, Egypt, Qatar, Yemen, Oman and the United Arab Emirates (Dubai, Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah).

Wayne has also consulted to the IFC and the World Bank for the past 7 years on tourism investment climate issues and tourism programs in Africa.

WILLIAM PETER DOUGLAS FORD

TITLE
Group Operations Director
COMPANY
Protea Hospitality Corporation

William (Bill) is a graduate of Brighton University Sussex, England in the faculty of Hotel & Catering Administration and is a Graduate and Fellow of the UK’s Institute of Hospitality (formerly the Hotel, Catering and International Management Association - HCIMA) and of Disney University, U.S.A.
Bill joined Protea as a founding director in 1984 and has over forty years’ experience in the hotel industry. He currently holds the position of Group Operations Director, Protea Hospitality Corporation which operates over 120 hotels under the Protea Hotels, Protea Hotel Fire & Ice! and African Pride Hotels Brands in 8 African countries.

WIZA NYONDO

TITLE
Head of Tourism
COMPANY
FNB Commercial

Wiza Nyondo is part of the Commercial Banking team at First National bank. The team’s core focus is on businesses with turnover of R10-R100m segment per annum – a segment that is replete with entrepreneurial activity, and one that that forms the bedrock for economic growth and development for our country.

The team’s role is creating a platform of growth in the tourism sector through business development, offering tailored value propositions, mitigating the risk for the bank, serving as the networking conduit between FNB Commercial and the tourism industry and building strategic partnerships with relevant industry bodies. Wiza has been with First National Bank for six years and prior to joining the bank, his experience extended from tourism research and development and practising as a Tourism Specialist.

YVONNE ZWANE

TITLE
Group Chief Executive
COMPANY
Ithala Development Finance Corporation Limited

Yvonne Zwane is an executive manager, leader, strategist, motivator, advisor and negotiator with extensive experience in banking.

She has 27 years of senior level banking experience in Retail; Commercial; Risk Management; Credit; Insolvent Estates; Corporate Banking and Public Sector banking.?
She has served as Chief Executive Officer for FNB, Public Sector Banking National Government Business- a position which entailed leading the national government team in terms of strategy and turning a loss making entity to profitability.

She managed this challenge with great success, winning top team awards, performing above set targets and achieving numerous new acquisitions in just 3 years.

She holds an MBL, a B Com Accounting, a University Educational Diploma, a CAIB (SA) - Institute of Bankers South Africa, and Leadership Development Diploma – DaVinci Institute for Technology Management.

As the current Group Chief Executive of Ithala Development Finance Corporation Limited, Ms Zwane’s mandate is to fulfil the Corporation’s strategic goals.

WELCOME TO HOTEL INVESTMENT CONFERENCE AFRICA 2012

“Recharge and Refocus”
Navigating the changing hospitality landscape

The Tourism Business Council of SA welcomes you to HICA 2012, Africa’s premier Hotel Investment Conference. Together with our partners, the Department of Economic Development and Tourism (DEDT), Trade and Investment KwaZulu-Natal (TIKZN) and Tourism KwaZulu-Natal (TKZN), we aim to bring you the most successful Hotel Investment Conference to date.

We are honoured to welcome the Minister of Tourism of South Africa, Mr. Marthinus van Schalkwyk who will be joined by the Ministers of Zambia and Mozambique. This Ministerial discussion will be a highlight of HICA 2012.

The line up of speakers includes some of the most impressive and experienced leaders in the Travel and Tourism Industry. Among them is Graham Wood, the MD of Southern Sun Hotels, Clifford Ross of City Lodge Hotels and winner of the 2011 HICA Business Leadership Award, seasoned economist Chris Hart, Ewan Cameron of Lonhro Hotels as well as Linda Pampallis of Thompsons Africa to mention just a few.

The topics under discussion are relevant and will address some of the most pressing issues of the day such as Airlift and Air access in Sub Saharan Africa, challenges facing the safari lodge industry, dealing with distressed hotels, independent boutique hotels vs. luxury branded hotels as well as a range of other issues.

We are immensely proud to be able to offer a conference that attracts delegates and speakers of such stature from all over the world. All delegates who attend HICA 2012 are assured to be rewarded with expert advice and insights from the most prominent and foremost leaders in the Travel and Tourism Industry.

We hope to see you in Durban!

Mmatsatsi Marobe
Chief Executive Officer
Tourism Business Council of South Africa

EVENT OVERVIEW

The 6th annual Hotel Investment Conference Africa (HICA) is an established business to business networking platform for investors, developers, owners and operators within the sub-Saharan Africa’s hotel and wider hospitality sector. This pre-Indaba event comprises of two days of networking, insightful debate and exhibition.

HICA is convened and managed by the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) in partnership with KwaZulu-Natal’s Department of Economic Development, Trade and Investment KwaZulu-Natal (TIKZN) and Tourism KwaZulu-Natal (TKZN). The conference also enjoys support from its founding associate, Pam Golding Hospitality.

The link between HICA and INDABA is a significant one, given that the latter event is also one of Africa’s largest tourism marketing event. HICA aims to encourage dialogue on investment and developmental issues in the hospitality and wider tourism industry.

CONFERENCE THEME: RECHARGE & REFOCUS
Navigating the changing hospitality landscape

Following the success of HICA Morocco in September 2011, the focus is back on the sub-Saharan region, based on the theme – Recharge & Refocus.

Rising input costs, changes in consumer travel patterns and issues of environmental sustainability are some of the factors that today’s hoteliers have to keep in balance to remain profitable. But can hotels attain this balance?

In view of the current market conditions, HICA 2012 will have a special focus on how best to navigate the changing hospitality landscape. Included in the conference programme will be sessions dedicated to scrutinising the four key elements of any successful hotel operation – finance, brand, operational efficiency and distribution – to determine how businesses adapt in the current economic climate.

PROGRAMME NOW AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD

Based on the theme Recharge & Refocus, the HICA 2012 Conference Programme is now available for download. Click Here

Furthermore, HICA 2012 will –

provide opportunities for networking and dialogue between government leaders and the private sector role players
provide insight into trends and global best practice in the hotel sector
provide an opportunity for emerging entrepreneurs to learn from experienced role players and find partners

Televised live on

NEW AT HICA

Featuring for the first time on the HICA Conference Programme will be sessions on:

Airlift and Air Access in sub-Saharan Africa
Travel, Tourism & Hospitality policy in sub-Saharan Africa – a Ministerial debate
Challenges in the Safari Lodge industry