Programme Download here - Global Travel & Tourism Summit

The Leaders of
Industry
Geoffrey J W Kent
Chairman,
World Travel &
Tourism Council
Chairman and CEO,
Abercrombie & Kent
Alex E Khajavi
CEO and Chairman
of the Board,
NatureAir Group,
Naturegate
As the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Abercrombie & Kent Group
of Companies, Geoffrey Kent brings a truly extraordinary lifetime of experience,
innovation and genuine passion to the world’s most exclusive luxury adventure travel
corporation. Under the direction of Geoffrey Kent, Abercrombie & Kent (A&K)
offers 350 tours and expeditions in more than 100 countries across seven continents.
Geoffrey was born in 1942 while his parents, Colonel John and Valerie Kent, were on
safari in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia). At the age of 16, Kent undertook an
initial solitary exploration of the African continent by motorbike between Kenya and
Cape Town that would in many ways define the course of his life.
Back in Kenya after service in the British Army, Kent joined his parents in founding
Abercrombie & Kent as a luxury safari operation. By 1967, the elder Kent retired and
the younger son moved into turning A&K into the internationally renowned luxury
travel powerhouse that it is today.
Together with Jorie Butler Kent he founded the Friends of Conservation, of which
HRH The Prince of Wales is the Patron.
In between these expeditions and forays, Geoffrey became a world-known polo player.
He is a founder of Windsor, Vero Beach, one of Florida’s most exclusive real estate
developments. He is also President of the Prince of Wales Foundation in the US.
Kent is a founding member of the World Travel & Tourism Council and the current
WTTC Chairman.
Alex E Khajavi brings extensive background in international finance, tourism
development and ecotourism consulting. His career has included assignments as
Investment Advisor with Dean Witter Reynolds and Eastman Dillon Securities from
1965-1971.
Mr Khajavi was Senior Vice President of the Triad Group of Companies from
1971-1978. With Triad, Mr Khajavi was the Chief Operating Officer whose
responsibilities included identifying, financing and developing multi-faceted projects
in US, East Africa and the Middle East. Mr Khajavi founded and operated Western
Architectural Systems from 1979 to 1986.
Mr Khajavi has a Permaculture Certification from the Sonoma Art and Ecology
Center. He has lectured on sustainable design for the Ecotourism Society, UNESCO
and United Nations.
As Executive Director of Naturegate, Mr Khajavi has collaborated on several successful
projects in the Caribbean and Central and South America. He has worked closely
with the Ecotourism Society as a premier supporting member. Mr Khajavi has
encouraged developing countries for many years to adopt ecotourism as a financially
and environmentally sustainable tool for development.
Mr Khajavi is the majority investor in NatureAir Group of Companies, CEO and
Chairman of the Board of NatureAir Holding Company SA, and Naturegate a
sustainable tourism development company. NatureAir is the flag carrier airline of
Costa Rica and operates 74 daily flights to 17 destinations within Costa Rica, Panama,
and Nicaragua.
In the past thirty years, he has worked on sustainable development projects all over
the world.
T h e Leaders of Industry
35
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