Welcome to our Spring Edition

Mark Norris, CEO of Profile, invites you to explore the latest issue of Leader. Once more, Leader captures and celebrates the lives and work of the pioneers, trend-setters and role models at the heart of our fantastic, rewarding and tenacious industry.

Welcome to this, our fifth edition of Leader!

When my colleagues and I originally conceived the idea of a publication to help present the thoughts, views and feelings of some of Profile’s many friends in the global hospitality industry, little did we know quite what we were about to start rolling out.

Leader began organically, depending fully on the gift of our contributors. Now our small project has blossomed into a regular publication showcasing inspirational leaders and talented managers all sharing a passion, professionalism and humility that sets them apart.

We have been flattered and humbled by the growing response and interest you have shown and it’s delightful that we seem to have acted as a catalyst in bringing so many of you in the industry together as was the case with Harry Murray’s splendid article in our last issue, A Leader and a Gentleman.

It’s meant to be eclectic to showcase our industry’s breadth and vital senior roles. So we’ve featured GMs overseeing major hotel redevelopments, the CEOs of some of the world’s new and established hotel groups, HR Directors relocating to Hong Kong or winning awards in London, even internationally renowned chefs.

Leader 5 is no exception, only this time we have a couple of features built around two special themes: General Managers who started their careers in the kitchen before moving to the Executive Office plus a contrast between two lady GMs, both originally from the UK, who are now leading two wonderful hotels in distant lands!

Our Client Profile is about my good friend Geoffrey Gelardi, a fourth generation hotelier now commanding The Lanesborough, and we have great missives from Mark Somen, recently returned to his native Kenya to run Tribe in Nairobi from Soho House New York; Heather Blankinship, a recently appointed Spa Guru for Amanresorts, and a lovely story about a visit to Marcel Levy’s paradise, the Hotel Eden in Rome, by Leader Editor Gina McAdam.

True to form, our Gina has been on the go again, this time riding the ocean waves on the amazing Celebrity Solstice, as you’ll find in our Inside Profile section. There too we spotlight China which, thanks to the huge dedication of Winnie Chiu, Area Director China & Southeast Asia and her team, is becoming a very important part of Profile’s business. Finally, we are delighted to feature Stuart Johnson’s brainchild, the Savoy Society Mentoring Scheme, and to share what Emma Jayne, HR Director of Four Seasons, is reading now.

As ever, we’d like our readers – now close to 20,000 – to take an active part in Leader, so should you be interested in being featured with your particular story, please drop a line to the Editor at gina@stratemarco.com.

Our next issue will be broadcast in the late summer following the Profile Journal, our sister publication dedicated to Marketing, Sales & PR professionals. Look out for stories on our co-directors Liz Hartstone’s forthcoming trip to Singapore, Bangkok and Siem Reap, along with Michele Alguacil’s Moroccan sojourn!

In the meantime, I hope that the recent change of weather, after one of the coldest winters on record, signals a nice spring and good summer which will be kind to us all both business-wise and for you and your families.

Wishing you a Happy Easter,

with best regards

Mark

PS: Don’t forget the Profile Sailing Cup dates for 2010 – 7th & 8th September -- supporting Springboard UK Charitable Trust & Sail4Cancer. Roll up/Roll Up - entries are coming in, however we need more to achieve our fundraising objectives!