European Cities Marketing, the European association of city tourism offices and convention bureaus, has announced that a new CEO will take office in March 2012, when the current CEO will step down.
Garry White, who will take over for John Heeley, studied hotel and catering management at the University of Strathclyde and pursued a career in hotel management before joining Visit Britain in 1999. There he has carried out destination marketing in a range of senior management roles in Europe, America and latterly, Asia Pacific Middle East Africa. He is an experienced and accomplished speaker, having served as a visiting professor to the tourism department of Strathclyde for many years.
“ECM is enormously fortunate to have Garry as the new CEO,” said Dieter Hardt-Stremayr, president of European Cities Marketing. “I am convinced that his knowledge of destination marketing and his global outlook, combined with his enthusiasm and strategic mindset, will be of enormous benefit to our members. Garry White is the source of energy and inspiration we have been looking for.”
“I am really thrilled to be given this opportunity to be a part of the ECM family,” said White. “The organization impressed me immediately because of the business model, the sense of collaboration, and the professionalism and commitment of the members and the ECM team based at Dijon. This is a really serious organization with people striving for excellence.”
