Institute of Hospitality announces John Thurso as its new President

22nd December 2022

The IoH will welcome Viscount Thurso or John Thurso as he is also known, to the role from 1 January 2023.

The news follows last week's announcement that the IoH's current President Surinder Arora, chairman and founder of the Arora Hotel Group is retiring on 31 December after three years in the position.

Lord Thurso has an impressive hospitality background having joined the Savoy Group as a management trainee in 1972. He was then a manager at the Lancaster Hotel in Paris and founded the hotel at Cliveden in 1985, before becoming CEO of Granfel Holdings, owners of East Sussex National Golf Course from 1992 to 1995.

From 1995 until his election to Parliament in 2001, he was CEO of the Champneys Group.

He has served as a non-executive member on a number of public company boards and is also chairman of the family company in Caithness.

In 2016 he was appointed chair of Visit Scotland and serves as an ex-officio board member of Visit Britain. He is president of the Tourism Society, a Fellow of The Institute of Hospitality and a Master Innholder.

He served in the House of Lords as a hereditary peer until 1999, was elected to the House of Commons as MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross until 2015 and returned to the House of Lords in 2016.

Confirming the appointment, Robert Richardson, CEO, IoH said: "I am thrilled to welcome Lord Thurso as our new IoH President. As the Institute steps closer to realising its vision of achieving Chartered Status, I am absolutely delighted and honoured that Lord Thurso will join us as our figurehead. His experience and commitment to the IoH and the hospitality industry, I'm sure, will help us achieve our formidable goals in the coming years."

Commenting on his role, Lord Thurso said: "As a member of the IoH throughout my professional life, and as a Fellow and past Patron, I am honoured and excited to have been asked to become President. Hospitality faces many challenges but the core of what we do - looking after people and serving guests professionally - remains as relevant today as it has always been. Professionals need a strong body to represent them and that is exactly what the IoH does."

Source - www.boutiquehotelier.com/