Graham Stewart Leslie

Experienced leader in luxury hospitality management and tourism development, known for successfully creating and operating luxury experiential brands and management organizations from the ground up. Well-versed in global markets with expertise in operations, marketing, branding, distribution booking systems, hotel and travel systems, strategic planning and development, asset and financial management, integrated sustainability, conservation, heritage, and destination tourism development. Skilled in overseeing large-scale mixed-use infrastructure projects as well as boutique asset circuit development including financing, operations, and marketing.

• Strategic tourism masterplan for Sultanate of Oman for low-impact high-yield tourism & hospitality network, including the first public-private partnership for national resort developments and promotion, as a network across fragile environments of; deserts, mountains, heritage villages, islands, and pristine Indian Ocean & Arabian coastlines.
• He was appointed by HH The Aga Khan to take responsibility for his tourism and luxury hospitality portfolio and to set up the upscale hotel, travel, safari & hospitality management arm for improved service delivery, branding, and trading to push ethical expansion across Africa, Indian Ocean, and West Asia.
• Developed conservation and heritage programmes for companies and trusts, within the Aga Khan Development Network- a not-for-profit organisation bringing benefits to local African communities for health, education, and employment to protect the; land, environment, and wildlife- conservation of resources through enterprise- profit.
• Board Director of several public Aga Khan companies in Geneva, Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Mozambique and Pakistan.
• Strategic advisor for national tourism authorities in Europe, the Caribbean, Asia, Arabia & Africa based on sustainable tourism, hospitality development, and management. Masterplanning for; Poland, Oman, Dubai, Syria, Pakistan, Mozambique, Zanzibar, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Martinique, Barbados & Egypt.
• Built 1st fair trade tourism and hospitality model/system and was elected by the United Nations to deliver interactive digital platforms for 46 African and Indian Ocean countries as a drive toward smarter more sustainable tourism.
• Created a collection of independent boutique hotel brands based on improved self-reliance and profitability for Global Hotel Alliance (Founder) as part of their growing 680 upscale hotel network covering 56 countries.
• Appointed to formulate new international operations and brand services platform for Kempinski Hotels & Resorts and Dusit Hotels & Resorts. Responsibility for all performance, development and revenue for both hotel portfolios and leading an aggressive international expansion programme including new branding, operating service & trading standards.
• Appointed by the Board of Forte to create an exclusive brand and management organisation for their fully owned luxury assets that consisted of 38 heritage palaces/hotels. The Exclusive Hotel Collection held a value in excess of £2.2B consisting of such historically important properties as the George V, Grosvenor House, Ritz, Plaza Athenee etc.
• Appointed by the Hilton Family and Board to head their international revival into luxury hotels. Created, launched and implemented the luxury Conrad Hotels brand and led its strategic positioning and growth across 5 continents with successful top-end RevPAR position in each unit’s location with many awards for 'best new luxury brand'.
• Directed the overnight take-over of the Mondrian SoHo New York as an independent operation that was trading at the bottom of the competitive set and reaching lead position in 90 days with an increase in NOI of +$2m per annum.
• Formulated the national masterplan for Zanzibar as a developing nation and advisor to the head of state.
• Directed development of +300 upscale hotels and resorts with travel reservation systems; inventory booking systems, branding, social feed, CMS and full PMS/CRS Integration including flight engines, car-hire & interactive mapping.
• Guest Speaker and Panelist on many UN, EU, WEF, EBRD, World Bank, and several Government Cabinets. Invited lecturer- Cornell University Hospitality, Les Roches Hospitality, Kempinski INSEAD MBA and EHL Hospitality.

• Heritage protection
• Land and wildlife conservation
• Environmental sustainability through tourism
• Photography
• Scuba diving our fragile planet and Africa- its People and Place and opportunity towards more robust self-reliance.