The title is conferred by the International Hotel & Restaurant Association (IH&RA) in recognition of outstanding career achievement among young hospitality executives.

The recipients of the award were named by Ejnar Söder, IH&RA President, on 15 November 2001 at a special ceremony held at the Radisson Edwardian Grafton Hotel in London.  Applicants, who must be no more than 30 years old, are assessed on criteria that include career performance, language and community participation, as well as professional outlook and attitude. 

Costa Rican-born Georgina Lopez began her career with Marriott in 1995 as a trainee at the Jacksonville Marriott.  She then spent three years in international sales at the Melia Cariari Hotel & Golf Costa Marriott before being promoted to the property�s Event Manager in 2000.  After one year as Group and Incentive Sales Manager for Marriott Hotels, Costa Rica, Lopez was appointed to her current position of Senior Event Booking Manager, a post that involves supervising all bookings for the group�s three hotels in Costa Rica, measuring and reporting the productivity of the sales and marketing department and guiding the team members towards achieving their personal and professional goals.

Lopez successfully manages to balance the financial with the human resources facet of business:  �Although I understand that we are in this business to make a profit, I feel very passionate about human behaviour, and I particularly enjoy having people under my supervision, as much as I enjoy helping clients.�  

Lopez cites the support of Marriott and its associates for helping her reach many of her personal and professional goals, and for providing her with further challenges.  Jon Peck, General Manager, Costa Rica Marriott Hotel, confirms, �Georgina�s determination and enthusiasm are contagious and, I believe, have helped to lift her Events Booking Department to a new level.  As a result of the efforts of Georgina and her team, Marriott now uses this EBD as a �Best Practice� example here in Latin America.�  Lopez plans to continue to grow within Marriott, and hopes to become Director of Sales for Quito, Santiago or Lima within the next five years.

Javier Rosenberg began his management career at the El Conquistador Resort & Country Club, Puerto Rico, in 1994, after having completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Hospitality Administration at Boston University, USA.  After three years of hotel management experience in Spain, Rosenberg returned to the USA as Acting General Manager of Swissôtel Chicago.  He was appointed to his current position of General Manager of Swissôtel Atlanta in March this year.  In this capacity, Rosenberg oversees all aspects of the hotel�s running, including guest satisfaction, employee engagement, financial results and budgets, standards, projects and safety, communication, community involvement and the environment policy.

Rosenberg believes strongly in leading by example.  As well as being financially aware, he feels that the job of any manager in this industry is to support, coach, train and provide the necessary tools for staff to be able to excel in their jobs:  �I am convinced that the most successful companies in all industries are those that are dedicated to staff satisfaction and genuinely care for them.�  Rosenberg�s enthusiasm for employee engagement is confirmed by the group�s Senior Vice President, North America, Thomas A. Klein, who states, �Rosenberg�s relentless adherence to fairness for all employees and his unfailing dedication to his team have engendered a respect that is deep rooted and well earned.�

Away from work, Rosenberg occupies the position of Honorary Co-Chair of �Men�s Event� which benefits prostate cancer research, has coordinated many fundraising activities for SOS Children�s Charity, and is Chair of the Marketing Committee for the Buckhead Hotel Association.  He is also an active member of the Georgia Hotel and Lodging Association, the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Luxury Marketing council of Atlanta.

Beyond his immediate objective of continuing in a General Manager position, Rosenberg plans to shift to the development side of hotels and restaurants.  His long-term dream is to own and operate a restaurant.

The International Hotel & Restaurant Association (IH&RA) is a global network of independent and chain operators, national associations, hospitality suppliers and educational centres in the hotel and restaurant industry in more than 150 countries.