BRUSSELS, BELGIUM—The Rezidor Hotel Group has appointed Inge Huijbrechts as new Director Responsible Business. She succeeds Sarah Rooney who has left Rezidor. “We are delighted to welcome Inge Huijbrechts to Rezidor,” said Kurt Ritter, president & CEO of Rezidor. “She brings 15 years of international experience in the areas of corporate social responsibility and sales and business development with her and will further strengthen our dynamic team. Doing business in a responsible way is crucial for us. We were one of the first international hotel groups to implement our own Responsible Business Program in 1989, and we aim to maintain and constantly develop our leading position in this field.”
Inge Huijbrechts is Belgian. She holds a Masters Degree in business administration, economics and engineering from KU Leuven (Belgium) and an MBA “Europäische Wirtschaft” from Europa Institut, Universität des Saarlandes (Germany). Her most recent position was Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at Toyota Motor Europe. Between 2003 and 2006 she sailed around the world in her own yacht and gained unique experiences in planning, logistics, organization, contact with and integrating in local communities.
“Rezidor’s ‘Yes I Can!’ philosophy makes each of our employees practice responsible business in their daily activities—across the board,” Huijbrechts said. “I look forward to improving the many existing strong initiatives and to introducing them in our numerous new hotels.”
Rezidor’s award-winning Responsible Business Program is based on three main pillars: health and safety for guests and employees; respect for social and ethical issues within the company; and a reduced negative impact on the environment. Within the program, hotels save water, energy and waste (half of all Rezidor properties are already eco-labelled), and support local charity projects. The group also works with World Childhood Foundation as a corporate charity organization, and has signed international initiatives such as the UN Global Compact. In 2010 and 2011, Rezidor has been named one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by the think-tank Etisphere.
In her new position, Huijbrechts is based at Rezidor’s head office in Brussels and reports directly to the president & CEO.
Go to The Rezidor Hotel Group.
