NEWH - April 2005 - (Page 26)

newh woman of the year by Shelly Clark On December 4, nearly 450 members and guests gathered in the glamorous Wintergarden Ballroom of Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel for the annual Los Angeles event, which celebrated NEWH’s first twenty years and the twenty remarkable women who have earned the title Woman of the Year because of their extraordinary contributions to the hospitality industry. The 20th Anniversary Gala proved to be a particularly lively affair, an effervescent black-tie blend of NEWH’s signature networking, epicurean delights (the seductive first course of wild mushroom tartlette with Sauterne reduction set the gustatory tone) and toe-tapping music from Art Deco & His Society Orchestra, who assured a crowded dance floor. Still, when Lyndall De Marco, executive director of the International Tourism Partnership initiative of the Prince of Wales International and Business Leader Forum, spoke after accepting the 2004 Woman of the Year Award, there was utter – and uncharacteristic – silence. De Marco, the first woman to win the award who is not based in the U.S., is an 18-year veteran of the hospitality industry who has been instrumental in the mentoring of young women on a global scale. A pioneering female general manager in three Asian countries, she concurrently served as Pan Pacific Hotels and Resorts’ corporate director of education. As part of her efforts to further Pan Pacific’s learning culture, De Marco established four accredited hotel schools linked to international universities in Australia, Micronesia, Malaysia and Singapore. She also founded the Youth Career Development Programme (YCDP), which currently operates in four countries with a planned expansion to ten. YCDP was adopted by the International Hotel and Restaurant Association in 1997 as its 50th anniversary project and in 1998 UNAIDS recognized the program as one of the ten best in the world for the prevention of aids. UNICEF regards it as one of the top twenty. “Lyndall De Marco is a particularly outstanding choice for Woman of the Year as she has broken barriers that opened doors for countless women in our industry, while creating programs that have contributed Herb Adcock (Atlanta) escorts Lyndall De Marco to the education, training and, ultimately, job placement for hundreds of women,” noted Woman of the Year Chair Leslie Temples, who presented the award. Given her outstanding background and credentials, it is no wonder De Marco commanded attention when she took center stage, but it was what she said and her imposing delivery that riveted the crowd, prompting that respectful silence. She made a compelling case for the hospitality industry having an unrivaled stake in international peace and global economic stability. “If the world is a safe and strong place people go to hotels, people build hotels and people fit out hotels. So it makes a lot of sense for this industry to invest in the communities in which we operate… organizations such as NEWH are very important because you promote success, you recognize achievement and you give back to society.” Helen Meisel, President of Los Angeles Founding Chapter; Jeanne Varney, President, NEWH, Inc.; Lyndall De Marco, Leslie Temples, Director/Woman of the Year, NEWH, Inc. 26 De Marco went on to relate how NEWH changed the life of a girl in Bangkok, a girl who never knew her

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NEWH - April 2005

NEWH - April 2005
Letter From the President
Upfront
Contents
Hospitality News
Lessons From Retail
Conrad’s First Ground-Up Hotel
2005 Leadership Conference
Remember Me? Using Video to Have Your Message Remembered
Woman of the Year
Design Showcase … Under the Tuscan Sun
Spa and Wellness Trends
Brand Perception
NEWH Icon Awards – Anna Perryman
First Canadian NEWH Chapter Chartered
Coming Events
HD at a Glance
HD Plantinum Circle Inductees
Contributors

NEWH - April 2005