UK: Richard Whittaker of Oakwood Worldwide has been appointed chairman of the Association of Serviced Apartment Providers.
Whittaker, who is director of supplier management (EMEA) at Oakwood, has held the position of ASAP deputy chairman since September 2016, and takes over as chairman from Don James, managing director of Berkshire Rooms, who has held the position for the last two years.
He said: “I am honoured to be taking over as chairman of the ASAP and very much look forward to continuing Don’s excellent work by driving forward the further growth of the Association and in particular expanding our ASAP Quality Accreditation programme to new overseas markets. We also have exciting plans to extend our global reach by partnering with other trade associations to strengthen awareness of our sector internationally.”
James Foice, ASAP chief executive, said: “I am delighted to welcome Richard as our new chairman of the association. Richard’s passion for our serviced apartment sector along with his very considerable experience, having held senior positions in the industry for the last 17 years, will be a tremendous asset to the ASAP. He has been a very strong advocate of the Association since he first joined the industry and has been actively involved since being elected to our steering committee in 2015. Richard’s leadership will be particularly instrumental to the Association at this time as we continue our global expansion, with the further rollout of our Quality Accreditation Programme internationally.”
Foice added: “I would also like to pay tribute to Don James for the fantastic contribution which he has made as ASAP chairman over the last two years. We are enormously indebted to Don whose leadership and vision has enabled the association to expand significantly and consolidate our position as the voice of the serviced apartment industry.”
Don James said: “It’s been a privilege to be chairman of the ASAP for the last two years. It’s been very rewarding to lead the association at this time of rapid growth of our sector and in particular to see us deliver on our objective for our membership to double in size to the 170 members we represent today. I am especially pleased to have seen our membership expand beyond the UK to 13 countries and for us to have quality accredited operators in 130 cities across the world. Our significant membership growth has also enabled us to strengthen our central team and expand our range of membership benefits to reflect our broader membership base. I am proud to be handing the chair on to Richard Whittaker and am confident that the association will continue to go from strength to strength under his leadership.”</p
