In 1984, at a time when South Africa was beginning to feel the consequences of international isolation and sanctions, and when the tourism and hospitality industries faced bankruptcy and failure, Protea Hotels was launched – without a cent of capital and with just four hotels. Under the leadership of Arthur Gillis, the Protea Hotels Group grew from the initial four hotels to over 130 hotels operating in seven African countries, and is today the largest and leading hotel operating company in Africa.
Arthur is currently the CEO of Platinum Hospitality Holdings, a leading hotel asset management company with approximately 15 hotels in South Africa.
He has been extremely active in all facets of the hospitality industry and has received many industry awards. He was recognised by a highly esteemed business community, having received the ABSA Jewish Achiever of the Year Award for non-list companies in 2008.
Where do you think your ‘MAGIC’ comes from? | Insatiable curiosity.
What do you think is often the difference between people who are good at what they do and people who are great at what they do? | Persistence and getting up again when knocked down.
What are the principles and values that you believe are important to live by? | Respect for human dignity.
What is your biggest weakness? | A belief that everyone around me is honest.
What are the most important lessons you have learnt so far, in your career or life journey? This could be anything from very simple small lessons to much larger bigger lessons. | To remove myself from toxic relationships as soon as possible.
What is the best advice you have ever received? | Narrow your business focus and pursue it relentlessly.
Who inspires you and who are your role-models? | My wife Lauren who sees only good in people and works tirelessly for those who don’t have opportunities.
Chris Bertish Legacy Project has a string of notable world firsts under his belt. He won the Mavericks Big Wave International surfing event in the biggest and heaviest waves ever recorded in the history of the sport. He also recently became the first person ever to cross any ocean on a SUP board, paddling 7500km’s […]
In 2009 Ntsoaki Phali decided to become the change she wanted to see — and so began Beyond Ability Talent Solutions, a self-sustaining recruitment agency for the physically disabled. As a former human resources co-ordinator, Phali struggled to meet her employment equity target when recruiting employees with disabilities. She knew it wasn’t for want of […]
Our dream when we started CA Connect was to be the first private SAICA[1]-accredited CTA[2] in South Africa that offered contact education to students who were not able to study on a full-time basis. We wanted to run a programme that was founded on inclusion, support and genuine care taking a fresh look at education, […]
Kirsty Chadwick is an educator, public speaker and leader, who has spent almost two decades involved in the field of education. Founder of The Training Room Online, which designs and develops innovative tailor-made e-learning material for the corporate, industrial and private sectors, Kirsty has trained, developed and inspired people across three continents. Kirsty Chadwick Definition […]
Brian Biro can be described as one of today’s most sought-after professional speakers, but he is so much more. He is also a Teambuilding Speaker, a Motivational Speaker, and a Leadership Speaker with the skills, knowledge and experience to truly deliver exceptional results. Companies and organizations who are truly committed to bringing out the best […]
Roman Rezac is a prolific South African retail entrepreneur with 25 years experience in a constantly evolving environment. He was an International knee-board surfer before he made his passion for beach lifestyle into a career. He opened his first Surf store in 1993 in Durban with borrowed capital and with hard work and perseverance he […]
Douglas Rogers is a Zimbabwe-born journalist and travel writer based in New York City. His book, The Last Resort: A Memoir of Zimbabwe, was published in 2009. The Last Resort is a remarkable true story about one family in a country under siege, and a testament to the love, perseverance, and resilience of the human […]
Willis Raburu is one of Citizen TV’s fast rising journalists, based in Nairobi Kenya. A distinctive and versatile TV journalist, he brings a weekly segment on Citizen TV dubbed “TruthMeter” part of Citizen TV’s weekly new prime-time line-up of programming. My Definition Of Success | Success to me used to mean a good house, a […]
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