The VisitPITTSBURGH Board of Directors has named Jerad Bachar as president and CEO of VisitPITTSBURGH following a nationwide search conducted by Minnesota-based Searchwide Global that began in January. Bachar had been serving as interim CEO and had previously been VisitPITTSBURGH national sales director for five years.
“I am pleased to announce that Jerad has been chosen to lead VisitPITTSBURGH as our president and CEO following an extensive nationwide search that produced some extremely qualified candidates,” says Bryan Iams, chairman of the VisitPITTSBURGH’s Board of Directors. “Jerad’s domestic and international tourism experience, as well as his familiarity with the Pittsburgh tourism sector and VisitPITTSBURGH, were major factors in our decision, and his exceptional leadership as interim CEO during these unprecedented times really made him stand out among our candidates. Jerad has demonstrated his ability to collaborate with key stakeholders, to be forward-thinking as we plan our market rebound strategy and to be willing to make tough decisions for the benefit of our organization and the local tourism sector.”
Iams adds, “I would like to thank Searchwide Global, a highly respected leader in our industry; the members of the search committee who spent numerous hours helping to identify the right candidate; the many candidates who graciously met with us during the process; the VisitPITTSBURGH leadership team who continues to help guide us through this pandemic; and the entire VisitPITTSBURGH staff who are tirelessly working on retaining future business and sports events, as well as targeting future leisure travelers.”
Bachar brings more than 30 years of experience in tourism and economic development to his new position. Most recently, he served as executive vice president of VisitPITTSBURGH overseeing MeetPITTSBURGH, SportsPITTSBURGH, destination services, partnership development and research. Prior to that, he served as executive director – economic development for the tourism, real estate, education and healthcare sectors for Bahrain Economic Development Board and as director – business tourism for the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing. He also served as a strategic advisor to the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Heritage and the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority. Bachar began his career in several hotel leadership positions for Marriott International, Hilton Hotels and John Q. Hammons Hotels.
Bachar holds an MBA degree from the University of Liverpool. He also earned his Certified Destination Management Executive (CDME) designation from Destinations International.
VisitPITTSBURGH is the official tourism marketing and promotion agency for Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. It is dedicated to generating business events, sports events and leisure travel business for the Pittsburgh region. For more info, visit www.VisitPittsburgh.com
