Lord Thurso appointed Institute of Hospitality president

The Institute of Hospitality has appointed Lord Thurso as its president from 1 January 2023 as Arora Hotel Group founder and chairman Surinder Arora steps down at the end of the year.

Lord Thurso was managing director of the Savoy Group’s Lancaster hotel in Paris at the age of 27 before progressing to lead hospitality businesses including East Sussex National Golf Course, Champneys and Cliveden.

In 2016 he was appointed chair of Visit Scotland and won the Leisure and Tourism Award at the 2003 Cateys. He is also president of the Tourism Society, a fellow of The Institute of Hospitality and a Master Innholder.

He served in the House of Lords as a hereditary peer until 1999, was elected to the House of Commons as MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross until 2015 and returned to the House of Lords in 2016.

Lord Thurso said: “As a member of the IoH throughout my professional life, and as a fellow and past patron, I am honoured and excited to have been asked to become President. Hospitality faces many challenges but the core of what we do – looking after people and serving guests professionally - remains as relevant today as it has always been. Professionals need a strong body to represent them and that is exactly what the IoH does.”

Institute of Hospitality chief executive Robert Richardson said: “I am thrilled to welcome Lord Thurso as our new IoH president. As the Institute steps closer to realising its vision of achieving chartered status, I am absolutely delighted and honoured that Lord Thurso will join us as our figurehead. His experience and commitment to the IoH and the hospitality industry, I’m sure, will help us achieve our formidable goals in the coming years.”

Previous presidents also include Peter Lederer, Sir David Michels and Alastair Storey.