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.
Lieutenant Charles Edward Martell FRGS is an English ocean rower, adventurer and humanitarian worker. A double Guinness World Record holder, Royal Engineer Charlie Martell is no stranger to adventure. Active service in Iraq, Bosnia and Northern Ireland led to a post-Army career in the humanitarian sector, where he specialised in post-conflict resolution. Working in mine-affected […]
Alan is a Chartered Accountant by profession. He joined the group in April 2012 as CEO, prior to which he was the CEO of Nolands (Cape Town and South Africa), where he served his articles and subsequently became a partner in 1998. During this time he served on several boards gaining experience in varied industries […]
Ralph Steadman is a prolific artist who in his 40 year career has produced thousands of groundbreaking and influential artworks. He is an artist, writer, sculptor, cartoonist and designer who has illustrated such classics as Alice in Wonderland, Treasure Island and Animal Farm. His books include the studies of Sigmund Freud and Leonardo da Vinci, […]
Sara Sutton Legacy Project is the CEO and founder of FlexJobs, an award-winning, innovative career website for telecommuting, flexible, freelance and part-time job listings, and founder of Remote.co, a one-stop resource for remote teams and companies, and the 1 Million for Work Flexibility initiative. She was named as a Young Global Leader (class of 2014) […]
Misha had the idea for Greenpop after racking up 360 000 air miles while doing an advertising job. They wanted to offset their carbon footprint but couldn’t face just handing over money – they wanted to get their hands dirty. Misha gathered like-minded individuals and started a campaign which aimed to plant 1000 trees in […]
South Africa is blessed to have the passionate and hugely inspiring John McInroy as one of her major MISSION MEN. With a heart for supporting primary education as a means to empower South African people, and address the significant inequalities the majority of South Africa still contend with, he founded “Red Socks Friday”, a movement […]
Amit Virmani’s debut, “Cowboys in Paradise”, was one of the most talked-about Asian documentaries in recent years. The controversial film was featured on CNN, BBC and various international media, and is regarded as a valuable counterpoint to “Eat, Pray, Love”. His follow-up, “Menstrual Man”, was a Netflix audience favourite at Hot Docs and will be […]
Runa Khan is the founder and Executive Director of Friendship, a value-based organization in Bangladesh. Additionally, she is a Founder and Chairman of Friendship International based out of Luxembourg. Although currently her work is firmly rooted in the development sector, her interests and experiences are varied, resulting in an organization which approaches development innovatively for […]
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