Judging gets under way for 2014 ASATA Diners Club Awards

ASATA and Diners Club South Africa have announced the names of the judges for the 2014 ASATA Diners Club Awards, which recognise professionals in the travel industry.

The annual awards will be celebrated at a gala event in Johannesburg on Saturday 28 February 2015. Eight awards will be presented: four in the Retail category, two in the Wholesale category, and two special awards, namely Exceptional Commitment and Tomorrow’s Leader.

Otto de Vries, Chief Executive Officer of ASATA, says the members of the judging panel are selected for their neutral stance, and none of the judges assessing the submissions for the Retail or Wholesale sectors represent that sector. “It is very important to note that all references to names and companies are anonymous.”

“The judges only see Candidate A, B, C etc, and therefore excellent motivations were required in support of the nominations. Judges will be grouped into different categories in order to assess the nominations, and we look forward to celebrating the outcome early next year,” he concludes.

Ebrahim Matthews, Managing Director of Diners Club South Africa, adds: “Diners Club is proud to be associated with ASATA and its commitment to the travel industry through continued efforts to promote growth and development. We are once again delighted to sponsor these prestigious awards, where winners are nominated by their peers, judged fairly and independently, and duly recognised as being the elite of the travel industry.”

The judges are as follows:

Kananelo Makhetha, CEO, Travelex Africa

Gareth Cremen, Director, Ramsay Webber Attorneys

June Crawford, CEO, BARSA

Professor Berendien Lubbe, University of Pretoria Tourism Management Division

Candy Kasonkomona, Director, Global Accounts Management Hahn Air

Jason Veitch, Head of Travel Insurance, Travel Insurance Consultants

Immanuel Banza, Head Customer Services Training, Account Management, Amadeus

Wendie White, Director, Lloyd Orr Communications

Sarah Cornwell, Managing Editor, Travel Industry Review

Finalists will be announced in January 2015.