Contact: Karla Smith, Director Membership Services
Email: ksmith@ishc.com
Phone: 404-542-0159
Berlin, Germany (4 March 2015): The International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC), in partnership with the International Hotel Investment Forum (IHIF), presented Greg Bows of African Impact with the 2015 Young Leader Award on 3 March. Celebrating its seventh year, the award recognizes the outstanding contribution to the industry by a young hospitality leader.
Greg, recognized for his contribution to responsible tourism, is the Co-Founder and Managing Director for African Impact, the largest responsible tourism and volunteer travel organization in Africa. The group has placed over 14,000 volunteers across 94 projects and strives to have local community support and ownership of each assignment. Greg, a UK national, co-founded the organization at the age of 18 following a period of travel around Africa. His role ranges from setting the company vision and running daily operations to ensuring that African Impact attracts people from across the globe that want to make a difference through volunteer travel.
On being announced winner, Bows said: “Winning this award has left me both humbled and thrilled. Aside from the personal honor, this award is an important recognition of the volunteer travel industry. In building African Impact over the last decade and helping shape responsible tourism through this, I am confident in the power that volunteer travel can have in generating positive change globally. To be acknowledged by an industry forum as influential as the IHIF is hugely gratifying and very exciting”.
Andrea Belfanti, Executive Director, ISHC, said: “Even as this is the seventh year ISHC has partnered with IHIF to present this award, the nominees still astonish me. They are outstanding young leaders in the hospitality industry. This year’s winner, Greg Bows, is a shining example of why we continue to make this award a priority. He has passion and drive that is rarely seen. I am honored to have Greg as this year’s winner”.
Andrew Connolly, co-founder, African Impact said; “Using Greg’s passion for providing amazing experiences to tourists in the hospitality world and making tourism a real force for social change, African Impact has been a true success. Greg’s commitment and effort should be rewarded which is why I nominated him for this award”.
Candidates eligible for nomination for the IHIF Young Leader Award must be under 35 years of age, work in a hospitality-related field, have completed a significant project for their hotel/organization and be recognized by leaders of their hotel/organization as an emerging leader.
ENDS
About ISHC
The International Society of Hospitality Consultants is truly The Leading Source for Global Hospitality Expertise, represented by over two hundred of the industry’s most respected professionals from across six continents. Collectively, ISHC members provide expert services in over fifty functional areas and have specialized skills in virtually every segment of the hospitality industry. ISHC is dedicated to promoting the highest quality of professional consulting standards and practices for the hospitality industry. Candidates undergo a rigorous screening process, ensuring that all ISHC members have a reputation of integrity and are qualified by their experience, training and knowledge to develop and express sound judgment on industry issues. Additional information about the organization, along with a directory of ISHC members, is available on the ISHC website at www.ishc.com.
About Bench Events
Bench Events has a long track record of delivering, with its partners, the premier hotel investment events across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Bench Events’ Chairman, Jonathan Worsley, works in association with the highly successful International Hotel Investment Forum which is now in its seventeenth year (www.berlinconference.com). In 2005, he was responsible for launching the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference in Dubai (www.arabianconference.com); and in 2008 launched the Russia & CIS Hotel Investment Conference (www.russia-cisconference.com). In 2011 Bench Events added two events to its portfolio, co-hosting the Turkey & Neighbours Hotel Investment Conference (www.cathic.com) and launching the Africa Hotel Investment Forum which in 2013 was held in Nairobi, Kenya (www.africa-conference.com). In 2014 Bench Events launched the Global Restaurant Investment Forum (www.restaurant-invest.com). Bench Events recently supported the Kenyan Red Cross following the Westgate Mall shootings and the anti- poaching efforts of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. www.benchevents.com.
About Questex Media Group
Questex Hospitality + Travel, the largest multimedia organization in the world dedicated to hospitality and travel, drives revenue, productivity and value creation for these related industries through strategic investment and deal-making forums, powerful lead-generation tools, interactive online business solutions, world-class events and industry-leading publications. Questex Hospitality + Travel operates throughout the United States and Americas regions, EMEA and Asia/Pacific through a variety of market-leading properties and services including International Hotel Investment Forum (IHIF) Berlin, North America Hotel Investment Conference, Asia Pacific Hotel Investment Conference, Asia Pacific Tourism Destination Investment Conference, Brasil Hospitality Investment Conference, Russia & CIS Hotel Investment Conference, Turkey & Neighbours Hotel Investment Conference, HOTEC Design North America and HOTEC Operations & Technology North America; lead generation portal HotelManagement.net; industry news delivery services in print, online and mobile worldwide via IHIF: Hotel Investment News along with Hotel Management and HA+D magazines. For more information please visit www.questex.com.
About African Impact
African Impact is the largest volunteering organisation in Africa employing over 170 people between Cape Town and Nairobi. The group have currently placed over 14,000 volunteers across 94 projects in Africa. The company continuously ensures that African Impact attracts people from across the world to experience volunteer travel. For more information please visit http://www.africanimpact.com.