#itmustbeNOW

Onno Poortier is currently the Chairman and CEO of NOW Transforming Hospitality GmbH. 
 
Mr. Poortier is a Board Director of The Alpina Gstaad and Sandoz Foundation Hotels in Switzerland. He is also in the Preferred Hotels and Resorts Advisory Board for Europe. His consultancy Rembrandt Management Services Limited counselled numerous luxury hotel companies and marketing alliances from 2000 – 2017 including Preferred Hotels and Resorts as interim CEO, Leela Palaces, Hotels & Resorts in India as President, Badrutt’s Palace St. Moritz as Owner’s Rep and Board Chairman, Beau Rivage Palace Lausanne as Board Director, The Alpina Gstaad as Owner’s Advisor, and Fregate Island Private in the Seychelles as Owner’s Rep and Board Chairman.
 
Onno Poortier worked with The Peninsula Group, where he was appointed Vice President in 1985 and President from 1992–2000. One of the world’s most respected hoteliers and a professional with five decades experience running international luxury hotel brands in Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East and USA, Onno Poortier played a leading role in The Peninsula Group’s expansion into the USA and Asia Pacific, with the acquisition and development of luxury Peninsula Hotels in New York, Beverly Hills, Chicago, Beijing, Bangkok, and Tokyo. 
 
As the Co-Founder of NOW, Mr. Poortier has turned his attention towards the most urgent issue of our lifetime, a legacy project with a mission to boldly advance sustainability, social responsibility and principled business practice in the hospitality and tourism sector of the travel industry to help it thrive.

Alexa Poortier, the Founder of NOW Transforming Hospitality GmbH, launched itmustbeNOW.com on Earth Day 2017.

At this most urgent of times, Alexa believes that each of us have the responsibility to act NOW to help keep our planet healthy for us and future generations. Having seen how travel drives economies and growth, as well as the shocking negative impacts created by people and companies in many destinations, itmustbeNOW.com aims to boldly inform, inspire and empower travellers to be a Force for Good and to only support sustainable travel experiences.

Thirty five years of international work experience includes a VP, Global Distribution and Business Development role with NewsCorp/Star Network, Sumitomo/JetTV and CNBC/ABN; a Group Director role with Edelman/JMA PR in Taiwan and China; and an advisory, operational and PR role with luxury hotels in Canada, HK, India and Switzerland.