One of Australia’s most experienced hotel professionals, Howard has a rich background in some of Australia’s – and the world’s – largest hotel groups – in 8 countries on four continents.
His career started in Europe and the Americas, where he worked for Westin Hotels (became part of Starwood and now part of Marriott) and then SAS (now Radisson), where he was Operations Director for Europe and the UK.
When Howard arrived back in Australia, he was an essential part of the massive boom in the Pacific hotel sector, working for (then) industry leader, Southern Pacific Hotels (SPHC), as Operations Manager, as well as a General Manager for key hotels, including Canberra’s pioneering Parkroyal and National Convention Centre complex and finally COO.
SPHC morphed into the InterContinental Hotels Group, and Howard worked for IHG in senior positions including VP Brand Integration until 2002.