ATTA’S NIGEL VERE NICOLL ANNOUNCES HIS RETIREMENT AS CEO
(Posted 14th October 2015)
Delegates at the ongoing Magical Kenya Travel Expo reacted with some degree of shock when news broke earlier today that Nigel Vere Nicolls, the long serving CEO of ATTA, the African Travel and Tourism Association, announced that he was stepping down after serving nearly twenty years at the helm of the organization.
Nigel, following an appearance at the recently concluded SITE meeting in Dar es Salaam, is attending MKTE2015 where ATTA has been a regular exhibitor and, besides providing a platform for members to interact also made it possible for them to conduct business.
Based in the UK has ATTA under Nigel’s leadership attained an almost stellar reputation as an advocate organization for travel to Africa and the number of members has increased substantially over the years. Over 600 tourism blue chip companies from some 22 African countries are presently on the members’ roll, credited to Nigel’s tireless efforts to promote ATTA as a primary platform for doing business in Africa.
The Board of Directors will now begin the process of finding a successor for Nigel during which time he will remain in office. After his retirement from the frontline is he then expected to take up a role on the Board or in an advisory capacity for ATTA.
Nigel, a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, made his mark in Kenya in his younger days when he was Managing Director of Signet Hotels, which was later on sold to Lonrho to become Lonrho Hotels.
He thereafter served in various top management positions like Wild Africa Safaris, Universal Travel and On Safari Ltd before being appointed CEO of ATTA in May 1994.
This correspondent, having known Nigel from his Kenyan days, takes this opportunity to wish him all the best in his future ventures, which no doubt will keep him connected to Africa one way or another.
