HOSPA Celebrates Awards Winners

Jan. 10, 2012

The winners of the prestigious Annual ‘Hospitality Finance, Revenue Management and IT Awards of the Year 2011’ were announced last Thursday (15 December) in London by HOSPA (formerly BAHA) – the UK’s leading educational organisation for professionals involved in financial management, revenue management and IT within the hospitality industry.

In the presence of over 220 guests at the 2011 HOSPA Annual Christmas Awards Luncheon – held at the Grosvenor House, Park Lane, London – the winners of the major HOSPA ‘Hospitality Professionals Awards’ and HOSPA ‘Company Commitment to Professional Development Awards’; and the ‘HOSPA Student Awards’, were honoured.

The 2011 HOSPA award winners – all recipients of engraved crystal trophies and certificates – were:

1. HOSPA Hospitality Professionals Award Winners 2011:

• Hospitality Finance Professional 2011, sponsored by PKF, was awarded to Richard Harrington, Regional Director of Finance, The Langham, London 

Robert Barnard, partner for Hotel Consultancy Services at PKF, commented: “My colleague Stuart Collins and I were delighted to present the ‘Hospitality Accountant of the Year’ award for 2011 to Richard Harrington, Regional Director of Finance – Europe and North America at the Langham Hotel.  Richard deserves particular credit for guiding the Langham through not just a deteriorating economic environment but also a major renovation programme - a challenge that he so clearly relished.

“PKF is a long standing patron of HOSPA and a leading provider of advisory services to the hospitality sector, so we recognise that timely and trustworthy financial advice is more important than ever.  With growing concerns about the health of the economy, the lack of a definitive solution to the issues affecting the Eurozone, and declining consumer and business confidence both at home and abroad, skilful financial management will be essential if hotels are to maintain the same high level of performance that we’ve seen for much of the past 12 months.  It is therefore reassuring to see so much talent and professionalism on display throughout the industry, as embodied by the calibre of the entries that we’ve seen for these awards.

“This is not the first time that the sector has faced unfavourable economic headwinds. Hoteliers know that they have a fight on their hands but it is also clear that they also have the skills, experience and strength of character within their finance team to make the most from the opportunities and challenges that will undoubtedly emerge during 2012.”

• Hospitality Revenue Management Professional 2011 was presented to Gary Mills, Revenue Manager, Mint Hotel Manchester and Mint Hotel Leeds

• Hospitality IT Professional 2011, sponsored by Fourteen IP, was won by John Reid, IT Department Manager UK, QMH UK 

Neil Tolley, Business Development Director for Fourteen IP Communications and veteran of the hospitality communications industry commented, “It was my pleasure to present the IT Professional of Year award for 2011 to John Reid, Head of IT in the UK for QMH.  John deserves recognition for the 15 years outstanding service he has given the hospitality industry at QMH.”

“John is currently leading a project to change Property Management Systems across Germany, Holland and the UK, in approximately 70 properties in a 6 month timeframe. Prior to this John has successfully delivered numerous projects over his career both in Finance and Front office systems. Graduate of the highly acclaimed Strathclyde University, John is a true hospitality professional that understands hotel operations and has an excellent strategic mind. This makes him not only an asset to QMH but to the wider hospitality industry.”

“As a long-standing supporter of BAHA and now HOSPA, it was great to see that the standard of entries this year continued to demonstrate the wealth of knowledge and expertise in our industry. Fourteen IP will continue to support HOSPA and the hospitality sector and we look forward to working with professionals such as John. 

2. HOSPA Company Commitment to Professional Development Award Winners 2011:

• Corporate Employer of the Year 2011 was awarded to Starwood Hotels & Resorts
• SME Employer of the Year 2011 was presented to Red Carnation Hotels

Nominations for the above top HOSPA award categories, put forward by Members of the Association to a special HOSPA selection committee, had to have: an exemplary track record; be willing to train and lead their staff; be totally dedicated to the hospitality industry, with the intention of remaining in the profession; demonstrate strong attention to detail; keep abreast of current codes of practice; and command respect within the hospitality sector and wider business community.

3. HOSPA Student Award Winners 2011 for Education and Training Programme (ETP) in Finance and Accounting

The HOSPA Education and Training Programme (ETP) is the entry route to Associate membership of HOSPA for new and inexperienced finance personnel in the industry. The programme provides learning and skills development for aspiring hospitality accounting professionals wishing to gain the skills and knowledge required to manage hospitality finance divisions, or gain an understanding of the accounting function of a hospitality unit. The 3-stage blended learning programme, studied over three-6-month periods, provides the flexibility for accounts personnel to fit their learning around their busy working day. Stage 1 is an Introduction to Financial Accounting; Stage 2 is Operational Management Accounting; and Stage 3 is Strategic Management Accounting.

At yesterday’s HOSPA Awards Luncheon, the Association recognised the outstanding student successes in the three stages of the ETP programme:

• ‘HOSPA Outstanding Student of the Year’ 2011 – based on HOSPA Education and Training Programme (ETP) examination results 2010/11 – was won by Ricarda Neims, Reservations and Revenue Manager, St James’s Hotel & Club, London She received a crystal trophy, certificate, a Samsung Netbook, and a free pass to the Annual HOSPACE 2012 Conference and Exhibition. Ricarda – who also won a cash prize and certificate for best performance in the September 2010 HOSPA ETP examinations for Stage 1: Introduction to Financial Accounting – took the best overall student accolade by achieving the highest overall HOSPA examination score in 2010/11.

Cash prizes and certificates were then given to the top HOSPA ETP students, based on their results in each of the HOSPA examination categories, taken in both September 2010 and February 2011.

The September 2010 HOSPA examination prize winners were:

• Stage 2 – Operational Management Accounting: Louise Coleman, Assistant Management Accountant, Firoka (Heythrop Park) Ltd., Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire
• Stage 3 – Strategic Management Accounting: Fiona Wilson, Assistant Hotel Controller, Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London

The February 2011 HOSPA examination prize winners were: 

• Stage 1 – Introduction to Financial Accounting: Patrick Smekens, Hotel Manager, Hotel San Roman de Escalante (between Santander and Bilbao) in Cantabria, Spain
• Stage 2 – Operational Management Accounting: Facundo Doce, Assistant Financial Controller, Hotel Missoni Edinburgh, Scotland
• Stage 3 – Strategic Management Accounting: Louise Coleman, Assistant Management Accountant, Firoka (Heythrop Park) Ltd., Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire.

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