HICA 2010

CONGRATULATIONS

Congratulations to the winner of the 2011 HICA Tourism Business Leadership Award – Clifford Ross of City Lodge Hotels. HICA salutes you for you dedication to the industry, humility and leadership.

GERTRUDE DUBE

TITLE
Head Specialised Debt
COMPANY
Nedbank

As head of specialised debt for Nedbank, Gertrude is primarily responsible for the following:

The assessment and joint initiation of complex financial funding structures;
The development of investment and funding solutions for BEE Transactions, Leveraged Buy-Outs, Management Buy-Outs/Ins, Mergers and Acquisitions, Debt Restructuring etc. The type of instruments utilised in generating solutions include inter alia, senior debt, higher risk debt like mezzanine, preference shares with recourse or an appropriate exit. The nature and type of instrument employed depends on the nature of the transaction, nature of business and the ability to service and repay the finance required.
And, joint responsibility for the negotiation and execution of transactions, including legal documentation and security structures.

Gertrude holds a Bachelors Degree in Commerce and is an associate of the Association of Chartered Management Accountants.

MICHAEL LAMBERT

TITLE
CEO
COMPANY
Three Cities Group

Michael Lambert attended the University of Natal where he obtained a law degree as well as Honours in Labour Relations. He served three years at Engen where he was put in a fast tract management development program before he resigned to pursue a passion of his - hospitality.

Michael joined the Three Cities Group in 2003 after they, as part of a consortium were awarded the contract for the R1,2 billion UShaka Marine World, responsible for opening on of the largest Marine and Entertainment destinations in the Southern Hemisphere, as C.O.O.

Michael was appointed as head of Three Cities Group Development division in 2007 - which was responsible for the development and establishment of hotels managed by Three Cities Group. In 2008 Michael was appointed CEO of Three Cities Group.

SARA BUTCHART

TITLE
CEO & Head of Strategy
COMPANY
Adzone Communications Consultants

Sara Butchart is a Marketing Communications Strategist who has worked in the industry for more than 20 years. Her career has included working for some of the leading advertising agencies and broadcasters including M-NET (where she launched the KTV brand in the 1990’s), SABC and e.tv. In 1999, Sara started her own marketing consultancy and over the past ten years has been involved in developing marketing strategies for the tourism industry, including the global SA Tourism business, Gauteng Tourism, Tourism Enterprise Partnership, The Tourism Grading Council, Budget Rent a Car, Cradle of Humankind, the Kenyan Tourist Board and ongoing project work with the Tourism Business Council of South Africa. Sara recently joined the Kaelo Group where she is developing strategic approaches for CSI and sponsorship platforms for the corporate market.

JENNIFER SEIF

TITLE
Executive Director
COMPANY
Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA)

Jennifer Seif has led Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA) since July 2001. She holds a number of academic qualifications in economics (Georgetown), history (Boston University), social anthropology (University of Chicago) and business administration (University of South Africa).

Prior to embarking on her career in tourism development, Jennifer worked in academia in South Africa and the USA. She still lectures occasionally on responsible tourism and is the architect of various training programmes on sustainable tourism. She serves on various boards on behalf of FTTSA and in her personal capacity including the Tourism Business Council of South Africa, Fairtrade Label South Africa and the Tourism Child-Protection Code of Conduct. In 2011 she joined the Steering Committee of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Tourism, a multi-stakeholder initiative facilitated by the United Nations Environment Programme.

In 2001 and again in 2003 Jennifer was recognized by the Ashoka Citizens Base Initiative, for excellence in non-profit resource mobilization.

WELCOME to HICA 2011

DATES ANNOUNCED FOR THE 2012 HOTEL INVESTMENT CONFERENCE AFRICA

Dates for the sixth annual Hotel Investment Conference Africa (HICA) have been announced. HICA 2012 will be hosted at the Southern Sun Elangeni hotel, in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, on 10 and 11 May.

Convened by the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA), in partnership with the Department of Economic Development and Tourism KZN (DEDT KZN), Tourism KwaZulu-Natal (TKZN) and Trade and Investment KZN (TIKZN), HICA is an established business networking platform for investors, developers, owners and operators within the African hotel sector. The conference attracts financiers, entrepreneurs, intermediaries such as architectures, transactional advisors and lawyers, and government leaders and officials.

CITY LODGE HOTEL BOSS NAMED TOP TOURISM BUSINESS LEADER

City Lodge Hotels, Chief Executive Officer, Clifford Ross has won the 2011 HICA Tourism Business Leadership Award.

Mmatšatši Marobe, CEO of the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) congratulated Ross and praised him as a true visionary. “When you consider how the City Lodge brand has grown over the years, it is not hard to see why Clifford Ross emerged as a winner for this year’s leadership award, she said.

Since his appointment as Chief Executive in 2002, the hotel group has grown from 35 hotels with 3,700 rooms in 2003 to its current portfolio of 52 hotels with 6,400 rooms. The group includes brands such as the Road Lodge, Town Lodge, City Lodge and Courtyard.

HICA REFLECTS ON THE STATE OF THE INDUSTRY

Where are we on the economic recovery curve? Post the 2010 FIFA World Cup and post the economic recession – what are the economic trends telling us? Join industry experts and leading economists as they share their expertise on economic trends and how the hotel and wider tourism sector will be affected.

WHO WILL YOU MEET AT HICA SOUTH AFRICA?

HICA is well-renowned for its engaging and at times vigorous debates. This year is no different and we have lined up an exciting line up of speakers. The speaker line up includes a selection of local and international hoteliers and leading experts.

Showcasing investment potential in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa

The province of KwaZulu-Natal, and specifically the city of Durban, is well-known for hosting Tourism Indaba, Africa’s largest tourism exhibition and trade show. This year, the province will be adding another tag to their long list of credentials – that of hosting HICA, Africa’s premier hotel and investment conference.