‘BAHA Career Investment Scholarships’ announced

(Hospitality Business News) At yesterday’s (25 November) 5^th Annual Hospitality Finance Conference and Exhibition, BAHA – the UK’s leading educational organisation for professionals involved in financial management, revenue management and IT within the hospitality industry – announced and publicly recognised the first ever recipients of ‘BAHA Career Investment Scholarships’, awarded to outstanding young employees working in finance, revenue management or IT within the UK hospitality industry.

Nominated by senior practitioners within the profession, the five lucky winners of 2010 ‘BAHA Career Investment Scholarships’ – designed to provide career development for upcoming young people currently working in the hospitality industry – are: Kate Baudouin, Assistant Director of Finance at Grosvenor House (European flagship of  JW Marriott), Park Lane, London; Daniel Bensusan, Finance Clerk, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, Central London; Michelle Jump, Inventory Manager, Travelodge; Andrew Wells, Financial Controller, Macdonald Windsor Hotel (owned by Macdonald Hotels and Resorts) in Windsor, Berkshire; and Chantal Beukes, Sales Executive/Pipeline Coordinator, STR Global. The respective nominators were: Joanna Chugh, Director of Finance, Grosvenor House; Patrick Divall, Area Director of Finance England, Starwood Hotels & Resorts; Patricia Griffin, Regional Revenue Manager – Provincial, Travelodge; Barry Dawson, Hotels Finance Director, Macdonald Hotels; and Thomas Emanuel, Director of Sales, STR Global.

The scholarships afforded the five lucky winners – who had to be 30 years-old and under – an unique opportunity to learn from, be noticed and publicly recognised at, yesterday’s one-day BAHA Annual Conference and IT Exhibition, held at the Sofitel Hotel, London Heathrow at Terminal 5. Pictured from left to right at the prestigious event are: Kate Baudouin; Daniel Bensusan; Michelle Jump; Andrew Wells; and Chantal Beukes.

The prize for winning each of the five Scholarships comprised full-day attendance at the Conference and IT Exhibition – where the candidates’ outstanding achievements were officially and publicly recognised; as well as a place last night at the BAHA Conference Gala Dinner – one of the traditional social networking highlights of the hospitality industry year. And that’s not were it ended – each scholarship recipient will be now featured in BAHA’s monthly magazine ‘BAHA Times’’!

Commenting on the new awards, BAHA Chief Executive Carl Weldon said: “I would like to congratulate all five recipients and their nominators. The winners have each demonstrated, at an early stage in the careers, why they are very worthy recipients of these our first ever annual ‘BAHA Career Investment Scholarships’. Michelle Jump, for instance, won the ‘Travelodge Head Office Team Member of the Year’ award 2009 for her continued dedication, commitment and professionalism. She has been instrumental in a very impressive group growth of the company.

“The ‘BAHA Career Investment Scholarships’ gave the five winners an unrivalled chance to enhance their continuing professional development (CPD) at yesterday’s Conference. They were able to mix with senior delegates and learn from them as well as the comprehensive programme of highly topical ‘best-practice’ educational workshops and presentations, led by a distinguished array of speakers – all experts in their own fields – who addressed the most pressing current issues in hospitality finance, revenue management and IT.”