Lacey To Step Down From Tourism Authority

December 2, 2020

Karla Lacey Bermuda November 2020 2Karla Lacey will step down as the Chief Operating Officer at the Bermuda Tourism Authority [BTA] later this month.

A spokesperson said, “Karla Lacey will step down from her role as Chief Operating Officer at the Bermuda Tourism Authority [BTA] later this month, after nearly seven years as a founding member of the organisation’s executive.

“Lacey tendered her resignation in May this year to pursue personal projects but agreed to stay on through 2020 to ensure operational stability amid the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“As the first employee hired by the BTA’s inaugural CEO, Bill Hanbury, in March 2014, Lacey oversaw the formation of all organisational processes during its start-up and since then has been responsible for managing numerous related functions, from finance, office administration and human resources and learning and development programmes to facilities management in Bermuda and New York.”

“Karla’s commitment and contribution to the Bermuda Tourism Authority throughout its six years of growth, evolution and achievements have been formidable—we owe her a huge debt of gratitude and wish her the very best in whatever she chooses to do next,” said Philip Barnett, Director, BTA Board.

“Not only has she played an indefatigable role in the BTA’s strategic development, but Karla is also a devout advocate for the hospitality industry and its employees, as well as a driver for coaching and mentoring across the organisation. She will be greatly missed.”

“Among other achievements during her tenure, Lacey led efforts around organisational transparency, performance and accountability; in 2019, she received special recognition from Bermuda’s Information Commissioner for governance leadership at the BTA—specifically, her work at the vanguard of implementing the island’s Public Access to Information [PATI] Act,” the BTA added.

“We owe Karla a debt of gratitude for helping create this well-built organisation from the ground up,” said BTA Interim CEO Glenn Jones. “Karla’s leadership has resulted in the recruitment of the finest tourism industry talent, along with accolades on the organisation’s commitment to transparency. The Bermuda Tourism Authority’s reputation is built on a track record that Karla was instrumental in shaping.”

The BTA said, “Lacey assisted the BTA to obtain Destination Management Organisation [DMO] accreditation within its first year of operations and delivered six consecutive unqualified audits of the organisation. She managed the revenue-generating Bermuda Visitor Services Centres throughout the island, including construction of the new Hamilton property that opened on Front Street in 2019.

“Notably, Lacey worked extensively with hospitality stakeholders, implementing the first industry-wide certification programme for tourism ambassadors [CTA], along with National Service Standards Certification for businesses. In 2019, she led a successful collaborative effort to launch a private-public workforce readiness initiative for Bermuda’s restaurant sector.

“It’s been a true privilege to serve Bermuda and our stakeholders across the tourism industry at the BTA,” said Ms Lacey, “and I’m incredibly proud of the tough work and big successes our team has achieved in just a few years.”

The BTA said that a decision on filling the COO role will be made in the New Year.

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Comments (6)

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  1. red rose says:

    Kevin Dallas, Victoria Isley, Karla Lacey. Glenn Jones is still acting … not a great look

    • wahoo says:

      You forgot Hanbury. Everyone is polite about why they are leaving but you still cannot deny the strong smell of interference.

  2. Brad Collins says:

    I had the privilege of working under Karla during my time working as the Management Consultant for the BVSC Ltd during the 2018 season. It is an experience I will never forget and I owe so much to her for taking a chance on me in those very early and change driven times. Her strength of character both personal and professional inspired me to work hard and to be better each and every day. Her leadership style allows for creative freedom, thoughtful input and comes with a built in belief that those who work under her can and will succeed at everything that they set their mind to. She has a keen eye for detail and never misses a beat. I will always appreciate this about her because through her leadership I along with my team was able to accomplish so much in the way of change to make the experience at the visitor services Centres more welcoming, informative, visually impactful and carefully curated around the visitors needs and wants. This along with others who have recently stepped down is a true loss for the BTA. I wish Karla well and know from experience that her choice was thoughtfully planned out and will allow her to focus another great passion in her life which I know will be well executed and successful. Good luck to you Karla!

    • hmmm1020 says:

      Totally disagree. You must be talking about a different person

      • D says:

        Someone’s mad lol, but go off tho.

      • BermyGal says:

        Didn’t your elders teach that if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything?!!