The Jersey Hospitality Association has elected Jeremy Swetenham as its new Chair at its annual general meeting held at the Pomme d’Or Hotel on Friday 15 March.
Jeremy takes over from outgoing JHA president Fiona Kerley who will remain a member of the JHA board. He will be joined by new vice Chairs, Martina McGibney and Stef Stevens, who will take over from Marcus Calvani and Natalie Duffy in the roles.
Jeremy has first-hand experience of the industry and spent seven years as Commercial Director at Jersey Heritage and was chairman of the Branchage International Film Festival.
“This is an exciting time for the JHA, we have a lot to look forward to and I am lucky to be taking this on at a time when the association has already made such great strides in developing a good positive reputation among its members and the community. On behalf of the JHA I need to say a huge thank you to my predecessor, Fiona and her vice-presidents, Marcus Calvani and Natalie Duffy, who injected new enthusiasm and energy into the committee in a particularly tough market place. They met the challenges head on and, together with our CEO Simon Soar, have steered us towards improvement and success,” he said.
The JHA now brings together 200 members representing a broad spectrum of businesses which have an input into hospitality, from accommodation providers to restaurants, attractions, activity providers and tour guides.
“Our goal is to provide a voice for all of those who join the association and 2019 has all the potential to be another great year. We have got off to a fantastic start with our success in working with the Government of Jersey team to ensure that we can ease our recruitment challenges as we head into the season and in less than a month we will be holding Zest Jersey’s Hospitality Festival, to promote the best our industry has to offer,” said Jeremy.
Outgoing president Fiona Kerley said that she was delighted with the JHA’s achievements over the past year, particularly in terms of membership growth and the improved promotion of the industry both among members and the wider Jersey community.
“I feel privileged to have served as president of the JHA and proud of the strong position that we are now in. Each year I have been humbled by what has been achieved by this association – especially as much of that work is done on a voluntary basis by extremely busy business people. I wish Simon and Jeremy and the new committee all the very best in leading us onto even greater success and showcasing our vibrant industry to Islanders and visitors,” she said.
The AGM was attended by members from across the hospitality industry who elected their new committee and enjoyed lunch with special guests from government and business. The guests were the Lieutenant Governor Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton GCB, BSc, FRAeS, Government of Jersey Chief Executive Charlie Parker, the Director of Young People, Further Education, Skills and Learning, Saboohi Famili, Economic Development Tourism Sport and Culture Minister, Senator Lyndon Farnham, Visit Jersey CEO Keith Beecham and the President and Chief Executive of Jersey Chamber of Commerce, Eliot Lincoln and Murray Norton, respectively.
