Held on 26 May 2022, members of The Middle East and North Africa Leisure and Attractions Council (MENALAC) adopted the association’s annual financials and elected a new Board of Directors
At its recently held 6th Annual General Meeting (AGM) on May 26, 2022, MENALAC announced the highly-anticipated election results for its vacant board positions while welcoming a majority attendance from its members.
Mishal Al Hokair, Deputy CEO & General Manager – Entertainment of Al Hokair Group was re-elected as MENALAC’s President and Silvio Liedtke, CEO of Landmark Leisure was re-elected as Vice President. Dr. Dattakumar, Director of Operations at Antic’s Land was re-elected as Treasurer of the Council for a term of two years.
UHY James Chartered Accountant acted as an independent election officer and announced the names of the new and re-elected board members. In order to maintain continuity within the MENALAC board, operator positions are up for election every four years, and manufacturer and supplier positions are elected every two years. This year, six board positions were open, including four operator positions that were up for re-election, one vacant operator position available for a one-year term, and one vacant manufacturer and supplier position, which also will have a one-year term.
MENALAC’s Board members play a crucial role in developing the council’s strategy and policies, establishing and monitoring its finances, and organizing events and reports that bring second-to-none value to all community members.
Regarding the election, Mishal Al Hokair, President of MENALAC said, “MENALAC is poised for great times ahead as we work to grow our footprint widely across the region, and we look for a board that is well placed to help MENALAC achieve that.
It was great to see such enthusiastic attendance at our sixth Annual General Meeting. MENALAC is a rapidly growing community of 108 members from 22 countries representing more than 653 operations and 257 entertainment brands that serve the MENA Leisure & Attractions Industry and we are committed to further enriching our industry’s offerings and bringing incredible value to our members. MENALAC has an exciting term ahead.”
Meet the new MENALAC Board
- Mishal Al Hokair, Al Hokair Group (President)
- Silvio Liedtke, Landmark Leisure (Vice President)
- Dr. Janardana Dattakumar, Antic’s Land (Treasurer) Re-elected
- Sheikha Monira Al Sabah, Play Enterprises & Trampo Extreme (Board Member)
- Kareem Fayed, Al Othaim Leisure & Tourism Co. (Board Member)
- Mark Haak Wegmann, MAF Leisure, Entertainment & Cinemas (Board Member)
- Shifa Yusuffali, Ideacrate Edutainment (Board Member)
- Alwaleed Al Baltan, Rafeeh Entertainment Group (Board Member)
- Prakash Vivekanand, The Zone Amusement Arcade LLC (Board Member) Re-elected
- Chris Swartz, Wild Wadi (Board Member) Re-elected
- Zeina Dagher, Emaar Entertainment (Board Member) Re-elected
- Shazad Ali Abdullah, Cheeky Monkeys Playland (Board Member)
- Jamie Charlesworth, SEVEN (Board Member)
- Rajiv Sangari, IMG Worlds of Adventure (Board Member)
- Ghassan Assi, Trampo Extreme (Board Member) Elected
- Mike Rigby, Whitewater (Manufacturer & Suppliers Board)
- Alex Schrott, TUV SUD (Manufacturer & Suppliers Board) Elected
The AGM also presented an opportunity to highlight the success of the MENALAC Events, including the newly introduced Free Education and Professional Development Sessions for its members, the MENALAC Waterpark Conference, The LEA Conferences (CEO Conclave & Safety Day) and the prestigious MENALAC Awards Gala. All events were very well received by the industry and attracted Great substantial attendance.
The council is pleased to be planning some high-level and exciting industry events to assist its members as they continue to align themselves with the “new norms” that have now become the way each business has to operate.
MENALAC would like to take this opportunity to thank the outgoing board members and Office Bearers for their support and dedication to MENALAC, and to welcome all new Board of Directors, Office Bearers and Heads of Committees to its fast-growing association.