Hospitality New Zealand has formally appointed Sally Attfield as General Manager, – Accommodation, based at the National Service Centre in Wellington. Attfield will report directly to Chief Executive Julie White.
Attfield has been appointed to lead the accommodation portfolio and to re-establish the Accommodation Association New Zealand (AANZ) within Hospitality New Zealand.
AANZ will be the singular voice of the accommodation industry and will provide member advocacy on issues affecting policy and regulations with local and central government, and help to create initiatives to support and grow the accommodation sector. AANZ will be advocating for targeted sector support from the government as well as the need for short-term rental accommodation regulation, immigration, workforce training, skill and capability building. Other issues on the agenda will be further advocacy on issues regarding bed taxes and similar accommodation levies such as APTR.
White said: “Sally [is] a well-respected advocate in this industry. Her knowledge of the sector is second-to-none and the vast industry experience she brings with her will mean the team can really hit the ground running … as we rebuild post-Covid”.
Attfield brings more than two decades of experience in senior management roles within the logistics industry in New Zealand and overseas. Previously at Tourism Industry Aotearoa, she held the role of hotel sector manager for more than six years. Prior roles also include a variety of leadership positions in the Rugby and Cricket World Cups, as well as being a business adviser at the Ministry of Science and Innovation (now part of the MBIE). In February 2020, Attfield was elected president of SKAL New Zealand, a global organisation of travel and tourism professionals.
Attfield said: “At a time when our sector, along with others, is continuing to suffer from the devastation of Covid-19, it is important – now more than ever – that we are aligned as an industry, so the incoming government knows who to engage with as we move forward in our collective recovery.”
