ISHC adds RLA’s CEO to its board

The International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISCH) has elected RLA CEO Roger Allen as its newest board member. ISHC is represented by some 200 of the industry’s “most respected professionals” from across six continents with the aim of being the leading source for global hospitality expertise. The ISHC was founded in 1988, in recognition of the need for “competent, unbiased advice, professional guidance and sound judgement on the many diversified problems encountered in the hospitality industry”. Allen is the founder of Resources for Leisure Assets (RLA) and has also previously held senior management positions with such multinational companies as Horwath HTL, Steiner Leisure, Expressions International and the Genting Group in Europe, Asia and the United States. Allen, who has started a three-year tenure on the board, running until 2024, said: “As the sector moves deeper into the mainstream, investors are becoming better educated and more demanding of the detail which supports the bottom line. It is only with specialised consultants that every project can achieve the goals of all stakeholders involved. This is a period of great pressure, but also one of great innovation. “It is a great honour to have the chance to have been nominated to the ISHC board and to have the opportunity of contributing to the future progress of the hospitality industry’s leading source of expertise and counsel.” Andrea Belfanti, executive director at the ISHC said: “We are thrilled to have Roger on the board as we have seen his leadership first-hand when he was the co-chair of the 2019 ISHC Annual Conference Planning Committee in Vienna. “Since becoming a member in 2017 his contributions to the Society have been many, and through his involvement he has become very well connected with his fellow members. In these most challenging times for our industry, we know that consulting will play a critical role in the recovery of our industry for the pivotal years ahead and we are confident in our board and thankful for their leadership.”