Bench Events chairman and STR Global board director Jonathan Worsley hits Hotelier Middle East’s Power 50 in joint position at number 50. He reveals his greatest achievements and main influences.


Please summarise your career background?
I have been in the industry since leaving university in 1982, first working for Holiday Inns and Forte. I then moved into an advisory role working for PKF, Hotel Partners then CBRE Hotels. The third and most exciting phase of my career is launching and organising events for the hotel investment industry.  

How long have you been in your current role? 
Thirteen years ago we launched International Hotel Investment Forum (IHIF) in Berlin and despite managing the hotels’ team at CBRE in the early days, the events side of the business eventually became a full time role.

What do you consider to be your greatest achievements in this post? 
Watching the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC) grow from scratch has been enormously rewarding from 300 delegates in our first year to more than1000 in 2008. From our conference patron HH Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum to HRH Prince Sultan Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, we have developed a loyal audience.  It is amazing to see people of that calibre putting their weight behind your vision.

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What impact has your company had on the Middle East’s hospitality sector?
Through AHIC we have provided a unique forum which brings together hotel investors, operators, advisors and developers from around the world to discuss issues of the day and importantly to facilitate high level networking which leads to investment opportunities and deals. We also provide a platform for the Middle East to promote itself internationally.

 What makes a successful chairman?
I think that the ability to trust your instincts and recognise opportunities when they are presented to you is very important.  

Who has been your inspiration in the industry?
I have many industry friends who have provided council and inspiration to me over the years including Michael Hirst OBE, Kurt Ritter, Trevor Ward, Richard Garland and Derek Gammage to name a few. Per Lydmar, of the renowned Lydmar Hotel in Stockholm, deserves special mention for bringing me in as his partner of The Bench. With Jamie Chappell running the business, we then went on to reshape benchmarking in the industry.  But without a doubt, it is my wife Laura who tops the charts for encouraging me to play out my dreams and aspirations.

If you were not the chairman of a successful events company, what would you be?
It is a bit of a pipe dream but I would like to have my own investment vehicle and invest in aspiring entrepreneurs who have great ideas but need financial assistance, a bit like one of the Dragons on the successful TV show Dragons Den.