FHS World toasts excellence, innovation and achievement with FHS Awards
Fourprestigious accolades awarded at 20th edition of leading hospitality and tourism summit
Dubai, UAE. 29 October 2025.FHS World 2025 honoured leading luminaries shaping the future of the Middle East’s hospitality and tourism sector with fourFHS Awards to celebrate the best of the best in the industry.
The 2025 FHS Award winners are:
- Lifetime Achievement Award: Abdullah Ahmed Al Moosa, Founder and Chairman, A.A. Al Moosa Enterprises (ARENCO Group)
- Impact Leader Award: Laura Eggleton, General Manager, Hotel Indigo Dubai Downtown
- Future Leader Award: Veronica Asthana, Managing Director, miniMAX Hospitality
- Leadership Award: Fadi Alaseri, Senior Director, Education and Capability Building, Red Sea Global
FHS Awardscandidates are carefully chosen after several rounds of assessment by an elite jury, comprising senior leaders and experts from the hospitality sector.
Jonathan Worsley, Chairman of The Bench, organiser of FHS World, said: “FHS Awards celebrate the exceptional and the innovative, spotlighting the luminaries shaping our industry’s tomorrow. Winners are true visionaries who inspire excellence and innovation in global hospitality.Honouring achievement, leadership and inspiration, the awards are an annual tradition of excellence, and a much-anticipated feature of FHS World.As we mark the 20th anniversary of the summit, we are delighted to celebrate the best of the best in hospitality.”
Lifetime Achievement Award: Abdullah Ahmed Al Moosa, Founder and Chairman, A.A. Al Moosa Enterprises (ARENCO Group), presented by His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group
Founded in 1971 as Dubai’s first national architectural design, engineering and consultancy business, ARENCO has grown to become a prominent, service-focused, diversified organisation. Operating in the UAE, KSA, India and Oman, the group coversa wide spectrum of sectors including architecturaldesign, real estate, hospitality, car rentals, interior design, logistics and trading. Its hospitality division comprises Golden Sands Hotels LLC, which hasover 6,000 keys across 22 hotels and hotel apartments in the UAE and Oman, and brand partners including Hilton, Marriott, TAJ, Sheraton, Movenpick, Crowne Plaza, Four Points Sheraton, Hilton Garden Inn, Novotel and Ibis. Its iconic propertiesinclude Hilton The Palm Jumeirah, Marriott Resort The Palm Jumeirah, Taj Exotica Resort The Palm Jumeirah, Hilton Dubai Jumeirah, Crowne Plaza Muscat and Hilton Salalah.The group also owns and manages Golden Sands-branded hotels in Dubai and Sharjah.
Impact Leader Award: Laura Eggleton, General Manager, Hotel Indigo Dubai Downtown
The FHS Impact Leader Awardby FHSWomenPoweris a first-of-its-kind initiative to recognising outstanding female leaders who are shaping the future of hospitality. The award celebrates women who demonstrate exceptional leadership, career growth, and industry impact, highlighting those who break barriers, lead initiatives, mentor others, and drive meaningful change.
The award was judged by Maya Ziadeh, Chief Development Officer, Premium Midscale & Economy at Accor – Middle East, Africa & Turkey Accor.
Future Leader Award: Veronica Asthana, Managing Director, miniMAX Hospitality
Held in partnership with EHL Hospitality Business School, the FHS Future Leader Award recognises young individuals who create a significant impact on the global hospitality industry or at their company at a young age and in turn become an inspiration to their peers and industry colleagues. The accolade isdedicated to individuals aged 35 years or younger, who exemplify the next generation of hospitality leaders on a global scale.
The judging panel comprised Dr. Achim Schmitt, Dean, EHL Hospitality Business School; Stephane Haddad, Corporate Finance and Higher Education, EHL and Jonathan Worsley, Chairman & CEO, The Bench.
Leadership Award: Fadi Alaseri, Senior Director, Education and Capability Building, Red Sea Global
FHS World has partnered with the International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC) for the Leadership Award, which honours exceptional leaders who are shaping the global hospitality industry through their vision, achievements, and lasting impact. The accolade celebrates industry pioneers whose careers reflect excellence, innovation, and a commitment to inspiring future leaders.
On the judging panel were Judith Cartwright, Founder and Managing Director, Black Coral Consulting; Ben Baseley Walker, Founder and Managing Partner, Andart Global; David Keen, Founder and CEO at QUO; Andrea Belfanti, CEO, ISHC and Jonathan Worsley, Chairman and CEO, The Bench.
ENDS
NOTE TO EDITORS
About The Bench
The Bench has built a legacy as a global curator of opportunity, designing transformative forums and summits that empower the hospitality and travel industries to connect, innovate, and thrive. With over two decades of expertise, The Bench creates platforms that go beyond transactions to inspire collaboration and drive meaningful change.
Each event brings together government leaders, tourism ministries, global travel associations, leading hospitality brands, hotel owners and investors, airlines, destination developers, and more. From flagship gatherings like FHS World (formerly AHIC) and FHS Saudi Arabia, to FHS Africa(formerly AHIF) and AviaDev, The Bench creates events where ideas spark, relationships deepen, and investments take flight.
The Bench thrives on fostering dynamic and forward-looking dialogues, uniting industry pioneers to address challenges, seize opportunities, and co-create the future. Each event is crafted to deliver more than just connections – it’s about transforming ideas into action and building a better tomorrow.
Discover more at thebench.com
About FHS World
Dates: 27-29 October 2025
Location: Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, UAE
Sponsors:
Jumeirah as Host Sponsor; Ministry of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities (MHUC) – Egypt, Neom, Rua Al Madinah, Taiba Investments, Territorial Development Agency(Albania), Tourism Promotions Board Philippines and UAE Ministry of Economy & Tourism as Strategic Partners; PWC as Knowledge Partner; Accor, Arada Hospitality LLC,Barriere, ClubMed, Colliers, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Italia Hospitality, Jabal Omar Development Company, Marriott International, Modon Hospitality, Radisson HotelGroup, Red Sea Global, Rotana and The Ascott Limited as Headline Sponsors; Abu Dhabi Hospitality Academy – Les Roches, Action Hotels, Aleph Hospitality, Aristara.ai, Arthur D Little, Blastness, Bushtec Creations, BWH Hotels, CBRE, Compass Project Consulting, Credibl ESG, Danube Hospitality Solutions, EHL Hospitality, ELKO EP, Enterprise Greece, ForsiteCreative, H World International, HDL Automation, IHCL, JLL, JT & Partners, Knight Frank, Legacy Hotels Holding (Louvre), Millat Group, Minor Hotels,Parsons, QUO, Rikas Hospitality, Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), STR – aCoStar Group Company,Technogym, The First Group Hospitality, TUI Hotels & Resorts, UnitedHospitality Management, UNS and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts as Sponsors; ARK People Solutions, Cavendish Maxwell,Centara Hotels & Resorts, Inntelo AI, Invest Cyprus, Rove Hotels and Shaza Hotels, Start Reverse and iReserved as Exhibitors; and Adyen,dailypoint, ExploreTECH, Fairmas, Flyr, Portal, RMS Cloud and ROOMNETin the ExploreTECH Tech Pavilion.