| Paris, 27th November 2000 - Ejnar Söder
has been elected to the presidency of the International Hotel and Restaurant
Association (IH&RA) for 2001. An independent hotelier from Sweden and
one of the longest-serving members of the IH&RA board (1990-99), Söder
will take over next year from Dr. Osmane Aïdi, chairman of the Royal
Monceau Group, who has held office since January 1999.
Söder was elected with effect from January
1st 2001 by the IH&RA General Assembly when it met last week during
the association’s 38th Congress held in London.
| His appointment
coincides with a high point in a forty-year career in Sweden’s hospitality
and travel industry: the opening of the 542-room Nordic Hotel in
a prime location in Stockholm city centre. As majority (60%) owner, Söder
has been responsible for the planning, development and operation of what
will be Sweden’s largest hotel. From March 2001, he will become chairman
of the board.
Söder made his reputation as a independent
hotelier with his own company - The Star Hotels – which operated ten properties |
Ejnar Söder
|
nationwide when it was sold in 1998. He has
vast experience of association involvement having served on the board of
the Swedish Hotel & Restaurant Association, including six as chairman
of the Stockholm chapter, and as president of the Nordic Hotel & Restaurant
Association. He is also a trustee of the IH&RA’s charitable Foundation
for the Future, the body that oversees the funding of scholarships for
promising young hospitality professionals.
Addressing over 350 peers attending the gala banquet
at the close of the congress in London, Söder said his priority as
president would be education and training. “In my opinion, the hotel industry
will survive only by having the best staffing in the world. I believe in
‘management-by-walking-around’ and showing a genuine interest in people
- not just customers but employees. People leave management, not companies.”
Söder’s fellow officers for 2001 include:
| Vice President: Niels Nygaard, President
Danish Hotel Association and HOTREC |
| Treasurer: Joseph Spinnato, President
and CEO, Hotel Association of New York City |
| Secretary: Abraham Rosental, Director
General, Israel Hotel Association |
| Regional VP European Affairs: Reto Wittwer,
CEO, Kempinski Hotels |
| Regional VP Caribbean Affairs: Edward Malone,
President, Caribbean Hotel Association |
| Regional VP Latin American Affairs: Oscar
Alberto Ghezzi, President FEHGRA |
| Regional VP Asia Pacific Affairs: Ichigo Umehara,
President, Pan-Pacific Hotels & Resorts |
| Regional VP Middle-East Affairs: Fakhri
Twal, GM, Jordan Hotel Association |
| Regional VP North American Affairs: Alfredo
Tinajero, Mexico |
Board representatives of…
National Hotel Associations:
-
Tony Pollard President, Hotel Association of Canada
-
John Bell, Executive VP, Caribbean Hotel Association
National Restaurant Assns:
-
Florian Hew, Director, GastroSuisse
International Hotel Chains:
-
Stan Bruns, Senior Vice President, Mariott Hotels
Worldwide
-
Alan Parker, Whitbread Hotel Company
Intl. Restaurant Chains:
-
Jill R. Davies, Marriott International
Independent Hoteliers:
-
Fred England, Roger Smith Hotels Corporation
-
Naceur Malouche, Owner, La Kasbah 1 Ras El Aïn
– Hotels
Independent Restaurateurs:
-
Hugo von Reinprecht, President, KLBV
Allied members:
-
Geoff Percy, Senior Vice President, DiverseyLever
-
Erik Olsen, Vice President Marketing, VingCard -
Elsafe
The board will be responsible for setting the IH&RA
strategic priorities in collaboration with the new chief executive officer
of the association, Alain-Philippe Feutré, who was appointed to
head up the Paris-based secretariat from 20 November 2000.
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