Randi Schmidt, Hotel Manager at Engø Gård, has received the award of the Young Manager of the Year in the Tourism Industry.

Thursday evening, the HSMAI Travel and Tourism Festival 2007, saw the proclamation of the Young Manager of the Year in the Tourism Industry and Young Hotelier of the Year. Kristine Tonning and Randi Schmidt are the new stars in the service heavens. The prize is awarded by HSMAI, Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism, plus Cornell University.

The prize is an annual award to a young manager who has specially distinguished herself or himself in the past year, either with exceptionally good results at work, or by being particularly innovative in the managerial role. The purpose of the award is to encourage results-oriented and innovative leadership among young managers, and also to focus on the importance of the managerial role in hotel, restaurant and tourism companies.

The 2007 jury consisted of:
  Ingunn Hoftseth, CEO and jury chair for HSMAI Chapter Norway
  Morten Thorvaldsen, CEO, Thon Hotels
  Solfrid Sæberg, Consultant, Motivert
  Helge Gjellestad, Sales Manager, SAS Norway
  Hilde Solheim, Communications Director, NHO (Confederation of Norwegian Business and Industry), Tourism section
  Martin Jørgensen, CEO, Net Trans Services AS
  Hans Kristiansen, Editor of the magazine Hotell, Restaurant og Reiseliv
  Leif Evensen, Cornell Hotel Society International

Eight candidates from Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger, Tromsø, Tjøme and Geilo were nominated, of whom only two could win. Kristine Tonning from Hotel Bristol in Oslo was awarded Young Hotelier of the Year and Randi Schmidt from Engø Gård Hotel & Restaurant at Tjøme (an archipelago in south-western Norway) won the distinction of being Young Manager of the Year in the Tourism Industry.

The year’s winners are innovative, service-minded and possess good managerial skills. Both boast excellent testimonials from customers, colleagues and superiors, and have managed their respective businesses with a steady hand and solid results.

“It has been incredibly inspiring, but also demanding, for the jury to evaluate such competent young people,” says the leader of the jury, Ingunn Hofseth. “With so many good candidates, it is a tough process. We have great faith that this price will motivate the industry’s young managers, and in the light of Norway’s increased investment in tourism there is a constant need for young, competent, ambitious and innovative people.”

Young Manager of the Year in the Tourism Industry

“Randi Schmidt has displayed a considerable commitment to the work of creating a hotel and an exclusive gourmet restaurant at Engø Gård. In the course of a mere few years she has succeeded in putting Engø on the map as a first-class dining experience that combines cuisine, service and beautiful surroundings. The keywords are giving that little extra, professional knowledge, humility and flexibility. The idea for the service to be perfect that this in itself makes a visit to Engø a special experience. The winner is a perfectionist who is determined to be the best. Naturally enough, she makes high demands of her staff as well, which has made Engø Gård a very attractive workplace for young people who desire a professional career in the hotel and restaurant industry.”