BY JAMES WILKINSON
The Accommodation Association of Australia has announced a major coup by recruiting former Australian Hotels Association (NSW) Accommodation Division Chairman Richard Munro as its new Chief Executive Officer.
Munro, who formally starts on July 4, replaces outgoing CEO Lorraine Duffy at the recently re-branded association.
Winner of the coveted General Manager of the Year at the 2009 HM Awards, Munro was most recently the Director of Development for Australia/New Zealand/Pacific at World Hotels. Prior to that, he was General Manager of Star City Hotel and Apartments from 2001 until 2010.
Munro said he was “extremely excited about taking on this critical role”.
“Accommodation businesses – notably in regional Australia – are slowly recovering from the global financial crisis and the downturn in tourism, and I’m looking forward to playing my part in assisting with them to grow again,” he said.
“The ongoing priority for the Association is to ensure that we have a strong and united voice to the Federal Government, as well as State and Territory governments on behalf of our members.”
Accommodation Association of Australia President Garry Crockett said Munro’s extensive experience in the industry made him the ideal candidate for the position.
“Richard is an established industry leader who is well known to key decision-makers and he will be an outstanding advocate for Australia’s accommodation sector,” he said.
“Having worked within the industry for 20 years, Richard has an intimate understanding of the challenges it is facing and how to address them.
“Richard’s grounding in regional Queensland, together with his experience in major hotels – starting out as a food-and-beverage trainee and graduating to senior management – means he is in tune with the needs of the Association’s members at all levels.”
Crockett thanked outgoing CEO Duffy for her work at the organisation.
“For the past four years, Lorraine has done a power of work for the Association and the accommodation sector is indebted to her for this,” he said.
“I’m sure I speak for all members of the Association by offering Lorraine praise and wishing her all the best for the future.”