Charles A. Barker
Hospitality Support & Consultancy Services
Hospitality & Tourism Sustainable Development - HSCS
WHO 'WE' ARE
We have over 250 years experience between us, in all sectors of the hospitality and tourism industries. We have produced tourism strategies at local and national levels, and managed and developed small, private hotels, large city centre hotels, resorts, restaurants, bars and private members clubs.
We are uniquely positioned to provide you with support and assistance in any or all aspects of your business and we are just an click away...
Charles Barker - Chairman and CEO, General Consultant
An experienced hotelier and motivational speaker whose business and career has spanned the globe, Charles Barker has lived and worked in ten countries on five continents. Formally educated in the UK, he has run hotels and clubs for InterContinental Hotels, Forte and Peninsula, among others. He is an established motivational speaker and trainer and has lectured in Universities in Oman, Hong Kong, Kenya and more recently in Pakistan. He talks regularly on Environmental and Sustainability issues and Climate Change and its implications for tourism and hospitality.
Charles is based in Islamabad from where he provides consulting services for the hospitality and tourism industries, both in the public and private sectors, through his company Hospitality Support & Consultancy Services . Also chairing a tour, trekking and travel company, Discovery Pakistan, Charles uses the platform for educating and assisting the development of sustainable tourism throughout the country and promoting the best of Pakistan on the world stage.
A keen marine conservationist, Charles is an Advisory Board Director with the Hong Kong Shark Foundation, an anti-shark-finning NGO, and has organised several conferences on the environment and marine sustainability issues.
A published author, Charles has written four novels and is a regular blogger on the environment, global politics and current affairs.
Gregory Meadows - Hospitality and Tourism Development Consultant
A classically trained and consummate hotelier, Greg has also worked all over the world, with particular emphasis on Southeast Asia.
Throughout his career, Greg has been inspiring people to be passionate about the Tourism and Hospitality Industries and to have fun doing it. He believes in the power of mentorship, training and development and in allowing team members to thrive on their own merit. Greg is a Fellow of The Institute of Hospitality and holds the Swiss Education Group's Certificate in Learning Design, awarded by the Hotel Institute in Montreux, where he has been involved with developing hospitality programmes. He is a regular visiting lecturer at the Swiss Hotel Management School, Leysin, Switzerland. He emphasises the importance of people in this global industry and the imperative of overcoming cultural differences for organisations and individuals to flourish and succeed.
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Peter Hopkinson - Strategy and Financial Consultant
Peter has over 30 years experience of building and managing SMEs. With a background in finance, he has held a number of high profile directorships specialising in mergers, acquisitions and sales of businesses in the international arena. These businesses have included hospitality, publishing, retail and yachting.
Having also developed and run his own boutique hotel, Peter is uniquely qualified to provide guidance, support and direction on financial and strategic matters.
Volker Zach - General Operations Consultant
A traditional hotelier, Volker has run some of the world’s most prestigious hotels, from the Carlton Hotel in Cannes to the Hôtel Westminster in Paris. An accomplished professional, his eye for detail and service excellence is second to none. His understanding of gastronomy is exceeded only by his encyclopaedic knowledge of wines, both of which experiences he shares generously.
Volker has always focussed on delivering the highest levels of customer satisfaction, a passion he has imbued among his employees and hotel owners alike.
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Shahnaz Ali - IT and Social Media Consultant
Shahnaz’s expertise covers both a mastery of food production and a deep understanding of administration, IT and website and social media development.
Having successfully run her own catering company for many years, Coriander Connections, she has a universal knowledge of food in all its aspects; sourcing, blending, creating, costing and presenting. She is an expert in nutrition and the application of ingredients for health and wellbeing. She views cookery as an art form as well as a sound, commercial business.
Her earlier career was spent in senior executive positions in organisations as diverse as international corporations, the United Nations and Government and she well understands business and administrative practices.
Jean-Paul DuGuy - Procurement and Pre-opening Consultant
Jean-Paul has established himself as an expert in all matters pertaining to procurement, both for hotel pre-openings and existing operations. His assignments have taken him all over the world where he has been instrumental in opening and developing some of the finest hotels and resorts, both small and boutique and large, multi unit properties. He has a passion for quality and his global connections are legendary.
A multi-linguist, Jean-Paul spent much of his career with InterContinental Hotels before joining Disneyland in Paris and subsequently other notable chains, including Kempinsky and Melco Crown. He has since been largely engaged in the training and development of a new generation of purchasing professionals.
Nazim Ullah Baig - Tourism and Travel Consultant
Nazim Ullah Baig comes from the Hunza valley in Pakistan's northern Province of Gilgit Baltistan, a magnificent mountainous region and now a popular tourist destination. His combined passion for travel and history led him to pursue a career in Tourism. He is now both a tourist and mountain guide.
He founded Discovery Pakistan in 2016 and has since organised and led tours from all over the globe, showcasing the diversity of Pakistan as a world-class tourist destination. He has also been engaged with the production of a number of documentary films on the country, notably with Al Jazeera, National Geographic and independent journalists documenting the multi-denominational heritage to be found in the country.
Pakistan is one of the twenty countries in the world most effected by the severe impact of climate change, notably concerning the melting of glaciers, a problem that is leading to flooding throughout the country. Nazim actively highlights this issue, along with other environmental concerns, and strives at all times to promote peace and tolerance.