ICM Chairman

In addition to his work with the Institute, Dr Alistair Somerville Ford is an international consultant specialising in the design, development and implementation of strategic plans to meet social inclusion, and social and economic development needs.

Specialising in the fields of Business, Tourism and Human Resource development, he provides expert technical advice and assistance to international and national development agencies, trade associations, government departments and agencies, and to private sector clients in South Asia, South East Asia, the Far East, Central, Eastern and Western Europe, sub-Saharan and ACP countries.

He is a former Senior Advisor to the Asia Pacific CEO Association, Vice President of the Charter Management Association (Hong Kong), and an external Examiner to the University of Manchester. He is also a former External Examiner to two Oxford Business Colleges, President of the Examination Board of the European Business Polytechnic, Academic Advisor to the Institute of Retail and Distribution Management and a member of the International Membership Development Committee of EUHOFA.

• Tourism and Business DevelopmentOver the course of the past twenty years, he has been closely involved at national, regional and local levels in policy drafting and the implementation of programmes designed to stimulate, promote and encourage sustainable economic tourism activity and to develop, manage and promote visitor products and attractions.

• Capacity Building and Institutional StrengtheningA recognised authority in the field of business, tourism and hospitality education and training, he has, over the past fifteen years designed and developed one hundred and sixty full and part-time business, tourism and HRD programmes to meet the specific local needs of governments, Ministries, government agencies, Trade Associations, MEs, SMEs, NTO’s TIOs and NGOs. These programmes have subsequently been adopted and adapted by institutions and agencies in more than 100 countries.A former Chairman of the Institute for Business Planning, he is an authority on the development of practical training and development programmes for MEs and SMEs and provides expert advisory services on small business and entrepreneurial development issues.

• Technical Assistance and Advisory ServicesAs part of his international work in the field of tourism planning and development, and in conjunction with the ICM International Advisory Board, he undertakes training needs assessments and provides governments and Ministries with specialist technical advice and practical assistance on matters relating to sustainable national tourism planning and development; urban and rural tourism planning and regeneration; transport issues; environmental considerations; the promotion of cross border tourism; the creation and marketing of visitor attractions and the introduction of occupational standards.

Membership of Professional Bodies (current and former):

• Executive Committee – Southern Tourist Board
• Fellow, The Tourism Society
• Europaeischer Hotelfachschuldirektoren (EUHOFA)
• Association Mondiale pour La Formation Hoteliere et Touristique (AMFORHT)
• Institute for Business Planning
• Institute of Credit Management
• Institute of Marketing
• Institute of Retail and Distribution Management
• Institution of Training Managers

Other Skills:

• Conference Keynote speaker
• Radio and Television Broadcaster

National and International Awards

In September 2001 he received a special Award from HRH Prince Charles to acknowledge his many years of work in the field of Heritage and the conservation of historic buildings.

He was also recognised by the Dorset Architectural Heritage Council and English Heritage for his sponsorship of programmes for the preservation of historic buildings.

In December 2003, in recognition of his contribution to the development of social cohesion programmes, and his post–war work with young people in the Balkan States, Dr Somerville Ford was awarded the ‘Linus Pauling’ Prize and nominated Humanist of the Year by the International League of Humanists, Graz, Austria.

Civic and Other Appointments

Dr Somerville Ford is Clerk to The Christchurch Court Leet and is an elected member of the Council for the Management of Historic Towns and Cities.

He was, for many years, the Education Advisor to the publishers of ‘British Qualifications’ and continues to advise on matters relating to the equivalence of educational programmes and professional qualifications.

He is a Visiting Professor to the Centre for Social and Economic Development at the Southampton Business School.