Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP®) will honor Shareef Fahmy, CHAE, as the 2013 CHAE (Certified Hospitality Accountant Executive) of the Year at the HFTP Annual Convention & Tradeshow. In its 30th year, the CHAE of the Year honors the individual that scored the highest on the CHAE certification exam in a given year. The Annual Convention & Tradeshow is October 16-19 at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas.
Fahmy studied at the University of Michigan before transferring to Golden Gate University in San Francisco, where he graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor of science in business. In 2003, Fahmy moved to Monterey, Calif. and began working with his uncle, Chef Mo Tabib, at restaurants located throughout Monterey’s historic Fisherman’s Wharf and Cannery Row. He began his career in hotels in 2005 when he joined the Hyatt Carmel Highlands’ food and beverage department, eventually moving into finance at the Inns of Monterey where he became a night auditor.
Fahmy has found his home in hospitality accounting and is now an income auditor at Portola Hotel & Spa in Monterey, where he has worked since 2010. As an active member of the hotel’s staff, Fahmy has played an integral role in the pursuit of green initiatives for the property, as well as in the expansion of the hotel’s award-winning craft brewery, Peter B’s Brewpub.
“It feels wonderful to be recognized by your peers,” says Fahmy. “Our industry is unlike any in the world and I am glad we have associations like HFTP and designations such as the CHAE that allow us to distinguish ourselves. The CHAE of the Year award is an especially great honor for me.”
Acknowledged throughout the industry, the CHAE certification elevates the professionalism of both the recipient and the industry by helping set standards for the field. Over 1,300 hospitality accountants from several countries have been certified since it began in 1981.
