Robert Richardson is to become CEO of the organisation as of 19 April 2021, succeeding Peter Ducker, who spent eight years in the role.

Now taking the helm of this international professional body, Richardson will endeavour to build on Ducker’s legacy. Richardson was previously general manager of Cave Hotel in Kent and, prior to that, held the same post at The Grand in Folkestone, and was an active member of the institute’s advisory board.

The new CEO received the Institute of Hospitality Judges’ Award in 2018 for his commitment to the professional body, before in September 2020 being named Institute of Hospitality vice-chairman.

In this influential role, Richardson will work closely with the Institute of Hospitality chair, Kellie Rixon, to lead the body in a post-pandemic world and help realise its aspiration to achieve chartered status.

“We could not be more thrilled to welcome Robert as our new CEO,” said Rixon. “We know he brings with him not only a wealth of hospitality industry experience and connections, but the respect of his peers in education and the wider community where he has dedicated so much of his time to raising the standards and stature of our amazing profession.”

“As hospitality returns to the forefront of our economy and our daily lives after a year of unprecedented disruption and challenge, there has never been a more important time for our industry to cultivate strong leadership and management skills,” added Richardson. “We also need to attract and inspire future generations of talent, and I believe the IoH is perfectly placed to help support this. It is a huge honour to step up and lead our institute moving forward into a brave new post-lockdown world.”