New GTA CEO to start job sometime after June 30

by Linda Straker

• Petra Roach announced as new CEO of Grenada Tourism Authority
• Second Barbadian national to be appointed CEO of GTA
• 2 Grenadians were interviewed, but they did not meet all preconditions

Hours after resigning from the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc, Petra Roach has been announced as the new Chief Executive Officer of the Grenada Tourism Authority (GTA). Her starting date is still unknown due to contractual obligations with her current employer.

“The start date of the new CEO is still to be determined,” said Barry Collymore Chairman of the Grenada Tourism Authority. He indicated that he is aware of when Roach will start but will not disclose until the right time.

Based on news reports out of Barbados, her final day at the BTM Inc which she served for 26 years in various positions will be 30 June 2021. She is the second Barbadian national to be appointed CEO of the GTA. The first was Rudy Grant.

The post of CEO of the GTA became vacant as of 31 December 2020 after former CEO Patricia Maher contract was not renewed by the Board. Roach was one of 6 persons who applied for the post. She was one of 4 non-nationals. Collymore said that 2 Grenadians were interviewed for the post, but they did not meet all the preconditions. One of the main prerequisites was international marketing experience.

Collymore said that Roach who in 2018 was awarded the Ambassador of the Year by Global Luxury Travel Network Virtuoso was selected because of her international marketing skills. “Rather than an administrative person, the Board opted for a marketer,” he said. The notice of vacancies said that the ideal candidate is expected to have all the qualifications and attributes expected for leadership at the CEO level.

“However, this position requires special emphasis on Destination marketing. The successful candidate will have a degree in Marketing/Management and or a minimum of 10 years of destination tourism marketing experience,” said the notice which was published online in local news sites as well as the GTA website.

Roach is taking up the job when Grenada has seen the lowest incoming passengers because of Covid-19 measures. Statistics from Grenada Airport Authority shows that aircraft movement at the Maurice International Airport declined by more than 50% between 2019 and 2020. Prior to the pandemic, that figure stood at 12,970 compared to 6,015 in 2020. Similarly, passenger movement decline by 72%, moving from 447,522 persons in 2019 to 126,336 in 2020. In 2018, there were more than 500,000 passengers arriving in Grenada.