The HOSPA Board:
Governance History
HOSPA Team & Contacts
Here you will find useful contacts for the full HOSPA team - from board member profiles to useful contacts in both the Membership & Events office and the Professional Development team.
HOSPA's President:
Harry Murray MBE.MI.FIH
Harry Murray has been the President of HOSPA since 2018. Harry has worked in the hospitality industry and managed five-star luxury hotels across five decades.
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Harry has been recognised with numerous awards for his tireless efforts to raise standards of excellence. His awards include Hotelier of the Year, Catey Lifetime Achievement award and an MBE for services to the hospitality industry.
Harry's further activity in the industry has included being an Honorary Ambassador of the Hoteliers Guild, Ambassador and Patron of Hospitality Action, Governor of the Royal Academy Culinary Arts and Life Patron of Springboard.
The HOSPA Board:
In 2022 The HOSPA Board ratified the appointment of the Association’s Deputy Chairman Bob Silk as the new Chairman of the Hospitality Professionals Association
Bob Silk is a relationship director at Barclays Bank for clients in the hospitality sector.
He is a specialist in funding multi-site hotel, restaurant & pub businesses; mergers, acquisitions & new site development, via bilateral and multi-bank lines of credit, including extensive experience with Venture Capital backed businesses.
Jane Pendlebury is a successful and well-known personality within the worldwide hospitality arena, her career has been dedicated to hospitality. Ambition and enthusiasm have resulted in high achievements and recognition in the field.
Jane ran the Membership and Events office for HOSPA from 2014-2016 before being promoted to CEO. Her involvement in HOSPA (previously BAHA) started many years ago as a Member and a Corporate Gold Sponsor. Jane has been part of the operations team for HOSPACE since 2010.
Diana is not only HOSPA’s treasurer - but also takes responsibility for HOSPA’s data management.
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Diana is part of MRMD - an asset management consultancy specialising in hotels, restaurants, and resorts. MRMD provides advisory services to enable owners, investors, lenders, operating companies or managers to achieve the full potential of their businesses.
David currently works for the Jumeirah Group as Vice President of Finance in Europe. He looks after six hotels including three in London, one in Frankfurt , one in Mallorca and another one in Istanbul.
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He also oversees the administration of Jumeirah's Global Sales Offices in Europe.
Chris is Chief Executive of Eproductive Ltd which provides EPS, the leading People Management System for hotels.
With a background in international hospitality management Chris co-founded Eproductive in 2000 and EPS now supports hundreds of hotels in the UK and elsewhere in Europe. Chris also coordinates 2050.network, the UK foodservice leaders' network, and has been Visiting Professor at the University of Surrey's School of Hospitality & Tourism Management since 2015.
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David has worked for over 30 years within the Hospitality industry both internationally and within the UK, of which almost 25 years within the Hospitality IT Sector.
His experience has encompassed most of the industry, from large international hotel groups such as IHG, management companies such as Bespoke Hotels through to luxury boutique hotels such as Red Carnation Hotel Collection. Now the Head of IT at the 785 room Strand Palace hotel, David says it is the industry’s vitality and desire to keep changing and trying to exceed its guest’s expectations that keep him excited. It is this constant change that sets the challenge for the IT Community to seek greater engagement between the Business and IT, and to share “best practice and innovation” throughout the industry as a key driver for his tenure as Chair of the HOSPA IT Committee.
Hannah is the Head of Marketing and Business Development for BDO LLP’s Audit and Assurance practice where she is responsible for the national marketing and communications strategy.
BDO LLP is a leading accountant and advisor to the hospitality sector and Hannah spent a number of years in BDO’s Leisure and Hospitality team, working with a range of well-known hotel brands and industry suppliers.
HOSPA Membership, Subscriptions & Events :
Emily has been working with HOSPA for over 2 years.
Emily specialises in marketing for the hospitality Industry – delivering traditional, digital and hands-on marketing services to a range of hospitality clients.
Katherine is a journalist with 20 years' experience in the sector.
Katherine has worked for publications including the FT, Business 2.0 and the leading hotel B2B titles as well as writing her book, Checking Out - What the Rise of the Sharing Economy Means for the Future of the Hotel Industry, published by Bloomsbury.
Abbie is Managing Director at Pic PR.
Pic PR is a communications agency which specialises in the hospitality industry – delivering PR, social, video, design and SEO support to a broad range of hospitality clients.
HOSPA Sponsorship Team:
Helen has been working with the HOSPA team for nearly 3 years, prior to that she worked in corporate social responsibility for Hotcourses Ltd, working on projects in Kenya.
She also spent 14 years working at Guardian Newspapers most recently heading up the commercial sponsorship and projects department. She has two teenage children and a dog called Smudge.
HOSPA Professional Development Office:
Michael leads the HOSPA Professional Development activities with responsibility for the online courses in Finance, Revenue and Asset Management.
Michael has enjoyed over 30 years of experience in operations, franchising and revenue management, alongside a career path in independent and chain hotels across Europe, Asia and the Pacific. He is also a lecturer at the Glion Institute of Higher Education, where he works with both undergraduate and postgraduate students from all over the world.
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Members have access to a range of opportunities to enhance their careers:
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Online libraries
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Courses and programmes of study
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Career advice​
Janel is an accomplished educator who is passionate about the importance of Learning and Development and its commercial impact on people and profits.
Janel is currently Head of Training for Right Revenue and she has lectured at a number of the world's foremost hospitality institutions such as Glion Institute of Higher Education, Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne, ESSEC Business School, University of Surrey and Edge Hotel School. In the past, she has also served as a member of the Revenue Management Advisory Board of The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI).
Emily is responsible for supporting student enrolments and onboarding administration for learners.
Emily is an experienced hospitality professional with a broad background in proactive sales, marketing, training and recruitment. She has worked for multinational companies such as Accor and the Firmdale Hotels.
Yaneal is our terrific Finance Management Tutor. He is currently a Lecturer in Business and Finance at QAHE (ULST).
Yaneal has lectured at one of the leading hotel schools in the world and was formerly Subject Leader for Finance at Glion Institute of Higher Education.
Alex is a strong leader with over 35 years of experience in the hospitality industry.
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Alex has worked extensively throughout Europe and Asia and has held regional roles, including Vice President of Finance. Alex has in-depth knowledge and practical experience that has been invaluable to many hotel owners and investors.
To contact a member of the HOSPA team to discuss your professional development requirements email Michael or a member of the team by clicking on one of the email links above.