Gordon Wilson | Principal, GBK Consulting

“Forget past mistakes. Forget failures. Forget everything except what you’re going to do now and do it.”
-William Durant

Introduction

I am a highly skilled, vastly experienced, business savvy leader, with a very strong work ethic who has the ability to maximise the operational and financial performance of various projects and operations in the Accommodation, Food and Beverage and Tourism sector. Most recently, in the rapidly developing serviced apartment market, building management and in the management of Bodies Corporate.

I have valuable experience as a result of performing senior executive roles in the corporate and leisure sector – both nationally and internationally.

This experience has been gained when operating in both the established and emerging tourism regions.

I operate comfortably in both the public and private sector and have successfully operated with a Board of Directors whether elected by the shareholders, fellow directors or elected by the community.
I have a propensity to challenge the status quo in an effort to gain competitive advantage and / or realize operational efficiencies. I have a strong understanding in the need for effective analysis of financial and sales and marketing performance and communicating this ‘understanding’ to the team. I possess excellent solution management skills honed as a result of operating in some very challenging business and operational environments.

I have a passion for personnel development and am firmly of the belief that having a management team achieving their professional goals will subsequently result in the company achieving theirs.
I am a strong and effective communicator, both oral and written, and have a management style which engages across a myriad of levels.

I possess very strong leadership skills and work hard on extracting the potential ability of those with whom I work.

Business Development Achievements

  • The development of a management team to address the challenges of the New Zealand Hotel Apartment market and to begin to realize the potential of this relatively new accommodation sector.

  • Creation of a residential Hotel School in Fiji utilising a poorly performing hotel with funding from Ausaid and in partnership with APTC…The only one of its kind in the Pacific…fully operational within 3 months.

  • The acquisition, refurbishment and re-opening of an 4.5 star hotel in Apia, Samoa

  • The creation of a Secretary’s and Personal Assistant ’s loyalty club

  • The opening of several ‘external’ Bars and Restaurants to complement the Hotel’s activities in a provincial town.

  • The development of Motel complexes in New Zealand to complement existing business operations.

  • The creation of a housing sub-division on surplus hotel land.

  • The development and construction of a 4 teir retail and commercial office tower in a provincial town replacing an old ‘unworkable’ hotel site.

  • The creation of a Franchise operation which created an additional 12 hotels to the Group and the successful negotiation of full management contracts on most.

  • The increase in the company’s share price four fold during my tenure.

  • The introduction of a social media strategy to complement the sales and marketing activity.

  • The increase in the company’s value as a result of improved financial performance.

  • Being a key member of an opening team which opened 3 hotels in Mombasa, Kenya.

Professional Details

Training / Qualifications:

3 years Hotel School in the United Kingdom

Professional member of a Board of Directors

Professional  Roles in:

    • United Kingdom
    • Switzerland
    • Norway
    • Kenya
    • Zambia
    • Botswana
    • Fiji
    • Vanuatu
    • Samoa
    • New Zealand :
      Auckland / Rotorua / Wellington /Queenstown / Christchurch

Read A Summary of Professional Career

READ CASE STUDIES

Professional Leadership

  • Was the first elected Chairperson of the newly founded New Zealand Hotel Council.

  • Appointed by the New Zealand Minister of Tourism to a sub Board charged with developing statistical analysis for the main New Zealand Tourism Board.

  • Sat on the Fijian Hotel Board as a Director.

  • Was appointed to the recruitment panel responsible for appointing personnel for the Presidential State Houses in Zambia by H.E Kenneth Kaunda

  • Was appointed to the Board responsible for organizing the 20thIndependence Celebrations for Botswana by the President H.E. Quett Masire as well as being charged with organizing the Gala Dinner for 2,500 guests and 14 Heads of State 250kms in the Kalahari Desert!

  • Was appointed to the external Examination Panel for the Kenya Utalii College in Nairobi.

Financial Management Successes

  • Have significantly increased accommodation yield within the first 12 months of my present commission by 20% with conversion ratios of additional revenue to profit presently in excess of 100%.

  • Have improved the financial performance of every organisation I have been employed by.

  • More than quadrupled the share price of the Millennium and Copthorne Hotel Group in New Zealand during my 6 year career.

  • Introduced Management Incentives based on financial performance across numerous organisations with very positive results.

  • Introduced a set of KPI’s in the form of a league table to encourage a competitive environment

  • Developed the understanding of financial performance at Head of Department level which led to an acute improvement in business understanding and decision making.

  • Introduced a ‘Liquid Gold’ Programme designed to improve cash flow and reduce borrowing costs.

Project  Management

  • The acquisition, refurbishment and re-opening of an hotel in Apia Samoa;

  • The development and construction of a retail and commercial office tower in a provincial town replacing an old ‘unworkable’ hotel site.

  • The development of two motel complexes in New Zealand to complement existing business operations.

  • The creation of a Franchise operation which created an additional 12 hotels to the Group and the successful negotiation of full management contracts on most.

  • The creation of a housing sub-division on surplus hotel land.

  • The creation of a residential Hotel School in Fiji.

  • The transformation of backpacker accommodation into more financially viable student accommodation.

  • Developed conceptual and financial plans for a hotel serviced apartment complex in Christchurch.

  • Prepared financial feasibilities for the development of an accommodation in Kingsland, Auckland.

  • Was engaged as part of the design and concept team of the multi-million dollar Carrington Resort Complex in Northland.

Corporate Strategy Projects

  • The re-launch of the Tanoa Hotel Group.

  • The creation and introduction of an in house graduate training programme in an effort to ‘grow our own’ hotel executives.

  • The development and introduction of a social media strategy.

  • The creation of 3 distinct brands for the Millennium and Copthorne Group and their positioning in the market.

  • The creation and implementation of sets of SOP’s across the company.

  • The redirection of the HR and Training activities to better suit the ever changing markets.
“The bitterness of poor advice lingers long after the sweetness of the low cost is forgotten”