Ms Harwood joins senior leaders of the accommodation industry on the AAoA Board, led by the President of AAoA Mr Julian Clark who said “we warmly welcome Leanne to the AAoA Board at a time that the industry is on a very good trajectory”. Mr Clark continued, “We look forward to Leanne bringing her leadership capabilities and vast international experience to compliment our current board members”.

Ms Harwood is responsible for the operations, growth and performance of more than 80 IHG hotels in Australasia and Japan. In this role, she oversees the regional teams in Sydney and Tokyo as they continue their record growth momentum and prepare for the 2019 Rugby World Cup and 2020 Olympics in Japan.

Ms Harwood has over 20 years’ experience in the hospitality industry with more than a decade at IHG. Before being appointed to this role, Leanne was Vice President of IHGoperations in South East Asia and Korea, based in Bangkok, overseeing the operations and performance of more than 60 hotels in Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines and Korea – a number that is due to double over the next few years.

See also: Richard Munro resigns from Accommodation Association of Australia

Ms Harwood commented, “The decision to join the Board of the AAoA was a natural fit for our organisation as the AAoA has a laser-like focus on our core business, accommodation”. Ms Harwood added “The next big challenge for our industry will be finding enthusiastic staff who are looking for a long-term career. We are pleased to see AAoA developing solutions such as The Academy that will develop real employment paths to real jobs all over Australia”.

See hotels for sale across Australia:

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Gold Coast hotel development site for sale

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See sold hotels across Australia:

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ibis Styles Brisbane hotel sold to Worldwide Hotels in $100 million deal