By James Atkinson
Former Liberal Party fund-raising boss, Paul Nicolaou has been appointed the next chief executive officer of the Australian Hotels Association (NSW).
He will take up the position in January 2012 taking over from current CEO Sally Fielke, who announced her resignation in September.
Nicolaou, a married father of two, is a former executive chairman of the Millennium Forum, the primary fund-raising vehicle for the NSW Liberals.
He was also the Liberal candidate for the NSW seat of Pittwater in the 2005 State Election.
He is the current managing director of a corporate advisory firm and serves on a number of Boards including The Gut Foundation and The Centennial Parklands Trust Foundation.
The former Waverley College student also has a Master of Commerce degree.
Nicolaou said in a statement today that he was looking forward to the challenge of representing the State’s hotel industry.
"AHA (NSW) is the strongest it's been in its 140 year history," he said.
"It has record membership, new premises in Macquarie Street and a unity and purpose not seen in a generation.
"It represents more than 1700 hoteliers, employs 75,000 workers, serves 3 million meals a week, hosts 75,000 live music and cultural acts and supports more than 17,000 community groups to the tune of $25 million a year.
"I look forward to being a strong voice at the state-level for our members and continuing Sally's hard-work."
AHA (NSW) president Scott Leach announced the appointment at a members meeting today.
"Paul’s attributes and qualities will be a perfect fit for our organisation," he said.
"His appointment combined with the future appointment of a general manager next year will ensure that the AHA (NSW) remains focused on the many State and Federal issues confronting the industry."