Guests and Team Relations Coordinator at Cocos Hotel, Namene Rodgers, was selected to represent Antigua and Barbuda at the official launch of the Caribbean Hotels and Tourist Association (CHTA) inaugural Young Leaders Forum next month.
A release from the Antigua Hotels and Tourist Association (AHTA) said Rodgers will attend the Caribbean Hospitality Industry Exchange Forum (CHIEF) from June 21st to the 23rd where she will engage in exclusive Leadership Development Training Sessions and meetings with the CHTA Leadership.
She will also interact with other Young Leaders from across the Caribbean during the forum “designed to engage up and coming hospitality professionals in a series of discussions, learning opportunities, and engagement with Industry Leaders”.
At the end of the one-year involvement with the initiative, the participants will be required to prepare a summary outlining their journey, their expectations, learning statement, how their new knowledge will be used, and how they have benefited from the programme.
“This material can be used and shared with future young leaders to assist them with their journey and development. At the end of their 12 months in the programme, the Young Leaders must present a Capstone project which should reflect a deep understanding of a problem at their individual organizations and which will provide an implementable solution. The topic to be agreed upon with young leader and employer,” the release said.
“My journey in the tourism industry began just over eight years ago when I was a young university graduate,” Rodgers said. “Although my prior experience was in education, I considered tourism as a new challenge. I’ve been afforded the opportunity to work in various departments, always being eager to learn as much as I could about the hotel and its operations. These experiences have allowed me to become an asset in the field, currently holding the position of Guests & Team Relations Coordinator.”
Meantime, Executive Director of the AHTA, Patrice Simon, described the Young Leaders Program as a valuable one which affords aspiring hospitality professionals the opportunity to get involved in special projects planned by the local hotel associations with the aim of learning how they function, thus giving the participants a voice.
“We are delighted to have someone with the energy and dynamism of Namene representing us and we are confident that she will be a great role model for future Young Leaders,” Simon said.