PHILIPSBURG:--- The St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association (SHTA), has named Alfred Harley as its new Executive Director.President of the SHTA Mr. Emil Lee said in a press release issued Wednesday August 8th, "We are delighted to welcome Mr. Harley to the team. His broad experience brings a unique prospective and set of skills that are well suited for the SHTA."
Mr. Harley now fills the vacancy left by former SHTA Executive Director Valya Pantophlet, who left her post as of June one to take up her new position as Advisor to the Minister of Tourism.
Mr. Lee said, "While SHTA wholeheartedly supported the transition of Pantophlet to the position of Advisor to the Minister of Tourism, it had left an unexpected gap in the SHTA" He said after a long time of looking at several candidates the board was finally able to reach a unanimous decision to select Mr. Harley.
According to the release, With the new Executive Director on board it strengthens the SHTA's ability to meet the needs of our members.
Before joining SHTA, Mr. Harley was a Resort Assistant Manager at the Five Star Hotel and Resort Chain "Four Seasons Resort" in Nevis. He will be in charge of the daily operation of the SHTA and will be charged with, amongst other responsibilities, bringing about greater awareness of the SHTA within the community. The SHTA is dedicated to bringing quality to all aspects of life on St. Maarten by promoting sustainable economic development for its members in cooperation with the social partners on St. Maarten, as well as the creation of a fair competitive marketplace.
Prior to leaving St. Maarten, Harley was a Journalist with The Daily Herald for several years, as well as President of the St. Maarten Journalism Association. He took up a position with regional telecommunications giant United Telecommunication Services, UTS "Chippie" in St. Kitts as its Operations Manager for a two-year period, after which he accepted an offer to Manage at the Four Seasons Resort, Nevis, one of the three top High-End Luxury Hotels in the world.
Mr. Harley said the opportunity to do important work for the Island of St. Maarten cannot be taken lightly and as such he was honored to be tapped for the position. He said one of the things he hopes to do is increase the membership of the SHTA through campaigns aimed at creating more awareness of the benefits that can be derived for businesses through their membership.
Mr. Harley said he also looks forward to working closely with the various stakeholders as he is confident that they, like the SHTA, have one common objective of continuously improving the Tourism product for the betterment of everyone working, doing business and living on St. Maarten.