The Programme - Global Travel & Tourism Summit

ProfilesJW Marriott JrChairman & Chief Executive OfficerMarriott International, IncJW Marriott, Jr is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Marriott International, Inc,one of the world’s largest accommodation companies. His leadership spans more than50 years, and he has taken Marriott from a family restaurant business to a global accommodation companywith approximately 3,000 properties in 68 countries and territories.Known throughout the industry for his hands-on management style, Mr Marriott has built a highly regardedculture that emphasises the importance of Marriott’s people and recognises the value they bring to theorganization. Today, approximately 151,000 Marriott associates serve guests throughout the world.Regarded as an innovator, Mr Marriott began shifting the company’s business model in the late 1970s fromhotel ownership to property management and franchising. His strategic decision allowed the company toaccelerate its growth and broaden its leadership position.Mr Marriott has also worked to compile a family of 18 lodging brands that range from limited service toluxury hotels and resorts. Today, the company manages and franchises hotels and resorts under the Marriott, JWMarriott, Renaissance, Bulgari, The Ritz-Carlton, Courtyard, Residence Inn, SpringHill Suites, TownePlaceSuites, and Fairfield Inn brand names; develops and operates vacation ownership resorts under the MarriottVacation Club International, The Ritz-Carlton Club, Grand Residences by Marriott, and Horizons brands;operates Marriott Executive Apartments; provides furnished corporate housing through its Marriott ExecuStaydivision, operates conference centres and; manages golf courses.INDUSTRYMahmud Jan MohamedManaging Director, Serena Hotels Africa andHead of Tourism Department for the Aga Khan Fund for Economic DevelopmentMahmud Jan Mohamed is the Managing Director for Serena Hotels Africa and alsoheads the Tourism Department for the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Developmentfrom his base in Nairobi.In this capacity he is responsible for twenty six Hotels, Lodges and Safari resorts in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda,Rwanda, Zanzibar, Mozambique, Pakistan and Afghanistan.Jan was instrumental in placing TPS Serena Hotels Kenya, on the Nairobi Stock exchange in 1997, and inthe development of the Tanzania and Zanzibar Serena properties from green field sites, in 1994. Between2005 and 2007, he acquired and developed Hotels in Uganda and Rwanda under the SERENA banner.Jan has held senior positions in East Africa which include: the Founder Chairman of the Kenya TourismFederation; trustee of the East African Wildlife Society and; a Director on the Corporate Governance Boardof East Africa.Serena Hotels has been voted the ‘Most Respected Company’ in the tourism sector in East Africa for fivesuccessive years in surveys carried out by PricewaterhouseCoopers.Jan is a member of the Hotel Catering Institutional Management Association (AHCIMA). He has attendedAdvanced Management training programmes at Cornell University and is a member of the Cornell HotelSociety.53