Respected Caribbean hotelier Nicola Madden-Greig has been named the new president of the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA).
The award-winning Jamaican businesswoman was elevated to the position during the annual general meeting.
She will serve the final year of a two-year term vacated by Pablo Torres, who tendered his resignation as he assumed broader regional responsibilities with Hilton International.
Madden-Greig recognised Torres for his work as president, thanking him “for stepping up to the plate to lead the association at a time of extreme crisis”.
She lauded his leadership during the pandemic, and wished him well in his new role as area vice president of operations – full and focus service hotels in the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America for Hilton.
In accepting the presidency, she said technology and sustainability will be two of her top priorities as she embarks on a three-year term.
Declaring that “Caribbean tourism must not only survive, but thrive,” Madden-Greig stressed the importance of better collaboration, establishing new partnerships and strengthening existing ones as the industry grapples with the ongoing threat of climate change and the continuing challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Looking to the future, she said, “Climate change still presents an existential threat to a sustainable industry,” and added that technology has vastly changed how tourism works.
“From the way we tackle our tasks to how we communicate with co-workers, suppliers, and current and prospective customers, technology has created ripples of change that have impacted companies in every industry,” she said.
Madden-Greig, who is currently the group director of marketing and sales for the Courtleigh Hospitality Group, brings two decades of tourism industry experience to her new role with CHTA.