Castries, Saint Lucia, Wednesday, May 4, 2018: Roderick Cherry is the new Chief Executive Officer at the St. Lucia Hotel & Tourism Association (SLHTA). He succeeds Noorani Azeez, who has resigned after leading the Association for 6 years.
An accomplished senior management executive, Roderick brings to the SLHTA a wealth of leadership and over 20 years of management and marketing experience. Prior to his appointment he served as the SLHTA’s Chief Operations Officer from March 2016. He has also served as the CEO of the National Insurance Property Development & Management Company (NIPRO), the Executive Director of the St Lucia National Conservation Fund and the Senior Manager for Marketing at ECFH. He holds an MBA in Strategic Management.
Roderick is also the chairman of the Saint Lucia National Conservation Fund and a board member of the Solid Waste Management Authority.
Roderick expressed his delight at his new appointment. “I am excited about this opportunity and ready to take on the challenge. As CEO, one of my primary areas of focus will be on strengthening the relationship between tourism and other sectors, including manufacturing and arts and craft. Currently, our goal is broaden our linkages program, which has already made a huge impact on the livelihoods of many farmers. We also intend to build upon the good work of the Tourism Enhancement Fund by setting up a more formalised structure for grant making to support education and training for our youth. Strong emphasis will also be placed on organising human resource development programs specially tailored for staff within the industry. We want to ensure that St. Lucia’s tourism product continues to maintain its world-class standards in an ever more competitive international tourism marketplace.”
In welcoming Roderick to his new role, SLHTA President, Sanovnik Destang said, “We are happy to welcome Roderick to the SLHTA team as the new CEO. Not only is he familiar with the dynamics of St. Lucia’s tourism industry, he understands the importance and linkages between tourism and other industries, and the vital contribution tourism makes to St. Lucia’s socioeconomic development. We look forward to working along with him towards strengthening the SLHTA and building a bright future for the tourism industry.” Destang also expressed his appreciation to Noorani Azeez, the outgoing CEO, for his invaluable contribution to the growth and development of the Association and the tourism sector.
— Source: SLHTA
