Ufi Ibrahim is the chief Executive of the British Hospitality Association (BHA), the national trade association for the hospitality and tourism industry, representing more than 40,000 businesses across the UK. Since joining the BHA, she has helped to spearhead groundbreaking initiatives including; the establishment of the Tourism Industry Council – a joint government and industry working coalition where she serves as a member and is chaired by the UK Minister for Tourism, the Agenda 300,000 Jobs by 2020 (unifying 40,000 businesses to drive the political and economic agenda for growth) and The Big Hospitality Conversation (targeting the creation of 60,000 new career opportunities for 16 to 24 year olds across the UK by 2016), and The Hospitality & Tourism Summit (the ‘Davos’ of the UK industry).
Ufi serves on the Events Industry Board, led by the UK Government with three aims: to help deliver more valuable business visitors to Britain in an ever increasingly global competitive environment; to recognise the role the events sector can play in driving long-term inward investment to the UK by attracting some of the world’s leading business events to the UK; and to use these platforms to boost exports, in line with government growth objectives.
Ufi also serves on the Board and the Executive Committee of the Tourism Alliance, where she served as their Chairman in 2014/15. She also serves on the Advisory Council of Hotel Futures, the Advisory Board for the Global Restaurant Investment Forum and advises the Hotel Investment Conference Europe. She became a Visiting Professor of the London Metropolitan University, London in August 2011. Ufi is also a Fellow of the Institute of Hospitality and is a judge for the Global Restaurant Awards.
Before joining the BHA in 2010, Ufi was Chief Operations Officer of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), where, working with governments and industry across the world, she advised on policymaking and the development of planning frameworks for economic and social prosperity through the long-term success of travel and tourism. As a keen promoter of public and private sector dialogue, she was pivotal in the establishment of the Global Travel & Tourism Summit – the annual meeting of world leaders to discuss and agree key priorities for the industry.
Prior to joining the WTTC in 2000, she was in charge of the American Express Global Passport and Visa Unit for five years.
She studied at the London Metropolitan University, graduating with a BA in Leisure and Tourism management, and graduated with distinction in her MBA from the Open University.