17 May 2016 – Mr Chanin Donavanik, Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Executive Committee of Dusit International, received the inaugural APacCHRIE Lifetime Achievement Award from the Asia-Pacific Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (APacCHRIE) at a ceremony held at Dusit Thani Hotel on 13 May 2016.
Sponsored by the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the APacCHRIE Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to a distinguished individual with outstanding contributions to the hospitality and tourism industry and education in the Asia-Pacific region as well as to APacCHRIE. Mr Chanin Donavanik is the first recipient of this prestigious award.
Throughout his career, Mr Donavanik upholds the values and vision introduced more than 65 years ago by his mother, Thanpuying Chanut Piyaoui, founder of one of Asia’s leading hospitality groups. Under his leadership in his previous role as Chief Executive Officer, Dusit International evolved into a fast-growing company with a significant pipeline of new properties under development.
Dusit International also owns and operates Dusit Thani College, a private educational institution offering Culinary and Hospitality Management programmes; the Le Cordon Bleu Dusit Culinary School, in partnership with the famous Paris-based institute; and the newly launched Dusit Thani Hotel School, Thailand’s first hospitality school based on ASEAN Common Competency Standards for Tourism Professionals. Under Mr Donavanik’s leadership, these educational establishments help produce well educated and trained hotel managers with high qualifications which match the requirements of the hospitality industry both locally and internationally.
“It is a great honour to be selected by such a distinguished panel of professionals to receive the APacCHRIE Lifetime Achievement Award,” said Mr Donavanik. “It has been our mission to make Dusit International a success, and having it evolve from a purely hotel business to one where we are also helping the industry and training its future leaders gives me great satisfaction.’
Founded in Hong Kong in 2002 by Professor Kaye Chon, SHTM Dean and Chair Professor and Walter Kwok Foundation Professor in International Hospitality Management, APacCHRIE is the regional advocate of hospitality and tourism education for schools, colleges and universities offering programmes in hotel and restaurant management, foodservice management and culinary arts. It has been playing an instrumental role in promoting academic and research exchanges in the Asia-Pacific region over the years.
