GSTC is pleased to announce the results of its recent elections for five open positions on the Board of Directors. The elected members of the board are: Dr. Jiwei Xu, Chair of the Mt. Huangshan Administrative Committee; Heidi van der Watt, Director of the International Centre for Responsible Tourism-South Africa; Gwen Migita, Vice President of Sustainability for Caesars Entertainment; Clara Torres, Deputy Director of Public Relations for the Mexico Tourism Board; and Guy Chester, Director at EcoSustainAbility. In addition, Jennifer Seif—Executive Director of Fair Trade in South Africa—was elected as certification representative. These newly elected officials bring a global range of perspectives to the organization’s governing body, representing the voices of business, government, and NGOs.
The GSTC’s Board of Directors is the organization’s highest authority, overseeing the Council’s operations and ensuring that its mandate is being followed. The 20-person board’s 12 “at large” members are elected to three-year terms by the membership of the GSTC. Three permanent seats are filled by representatives of the World Tourism Organization, the United Nations Environment Programme and the United Nations Foundation, which sponsors the GSTC. The final five seats are assigned by the board to outstanding GSTC constituents. The certification representative, elected by the GSTC’s Certification Programs members, is invited to attend board meetings as an observer in order to provide the perspective of a certification body.
Learn more about our diverse Board of Directors here.
