Well known industry leader Carole McKellar named to key executive post
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Feb. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- HelmsBriscoe, the global leader of independent site selection and RFP services for the expanding meetings business, announced the appointment of Carole McKellar to the position of Executive Director, HelmsBriscoe, UK and Ireland. Reporting to Bob Gilbert, Senior Vice President of HelmsBriscoe's International Division, Carole will be responsible for Associate and Business Development in her region.
Ian Quartermaine, Managing Director of HelmsBriscoe's International operation commented, "Carole comes to HelmsBriscoe with a wealth of experience in the MICE business. Many in the Industry already know Carole through her leadership in MPI: she was president of the UK Chapter in 2003/04 and is currently a Director of the International Board. She adds great strength to our global management team and will significantly impact our growth in the UK and Ireland."
Carole noted, "I am delighted to be joining the best in the industry. We have a strong team in the UK and Ireland and I am excited at the opportunity to make a difference and help grow HelmsBriscoe. The timing is perfect to demonstrate the unbeatable value that we offer. It's not every day one has the opportunity to join a company that booked over 3.5 million room nights generating over US$1 billion in total revenue. That's impressive."
Bob Gilbert, Senior Vice President of HelmsBriscoe's International Operation added that, "Carole created and managed a group of companies specialising in association management, venue search, event management and training/professional development. She has a particular interest in the development of people and organizations and, as part of her role within HelmsBriscoe's International Division; she will develop a global training and development plan for our team. She is clearly a 'people person', has a great sense of humor and her passion for education and measurable outcomes for meetings and events in our industry is well known. She will be a wonderful asset to our global team."
Carole, who lives in Macclesfield, just outside Manchester, England, has an Honours Degree in Archaeology; a Master of Arts Degree; the Diploma in Training Management awarded with distinction; and MPI's CMM certification. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development (Chartered FCIPD) in the UK and has been an active member of Meeting Professionals International (MPI) since 1999, holding a number of volunteer leadership positions: European Education Committee; Dean for the Global Certification in Meetings Management (CMM) for Europe; International Chair of the Professional Development Strategy Group 2004 - 2006.
About HelmsBriscoe
HelmsBriscoe is the global leader of independent site selection and RFP services for over 9,000 corporate, association and government clients that plan off-site meetings and conferences. HelmsBriscoe associates accelerate the decision making process for meeting planners by researching hotels and other meeting venues that match their clients' criteria, negotiating rates and concessions by leveraging its volume purchasing power, and facilitating the contracting process. Founded in 1992, HelmsBriscoe offers the industry's most respected network of procurement specialists, with 950 associates spanning over 40 countries. HelmsBriscoe combines its highly experienced global distribution with proprietary knowledge databases of 93,000 hotels containing more than five years of rate histories, the documented experiences and insights from its associates and clients, and a proprietary electronic RFP tool. For more information, visit www.HelmsBriscoe.com.
