|
Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace was appointed Minister Tourism and Aviation effective July 7, 2008 under the Ingraham administration. He also formerly served as Secretary General of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) in June 2005 after serving as Director General of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism for 12 years.
Born in Nassau, Mr. Vanderpool-Wallace attended the Government High School where he won the Princeps Prize for scholarship and later graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree cum laude from Harvard University in May 1975.
Mr Vanderpool-Wallace began his full-time employment at the Bahamas Ministry of Education and Culture and later joined the Ministry of Tourism. While at the Ministry of Tourism from 1978 -1982, he took a 13 month leave of absence to obtain his MBA degree from the University of Miami in 1981 which he finished at the top of his class.
In 1982, Mr. Vanderpool-Wallace joined the staff at Resorts International Bahamas where he remained for 11 years. He held various managerial positions throughout the company rising ultimately to the position of Senior Vice President as part of the three-man Office of the President.
Mr. Vanderpool-Wallace was named Person of The Year for the Caribbean by Travel Agent Magazine in 1998 and served for many years as Chairman of The Marketing Committee of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO).
In January 2001, he received the Albert E Koehl Award for Lifetime Achievement in Advertising by Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI). In May 2001, he received the Atlas Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Association of Travel Marketing Executives International. In March 2002, he was recognized by Fast Company magazine as one of the Fast 50 global champions of innovation from among 1650 entries. At the 50th Anniversary Celebrations of the Caribbean Tourism Organization, he was recognized as one of fifty people who contributed most to Caribbean Tourism in the past fifty years.
Mr. Vanderpool-Wallace has served as Chairman of the Management Committee of the Bahamas Tourism Training Centre, Director of The Central Bank of The Bahamas, Director of the Bank of The Bahamas and Deputy Chairman and Chairman of the Hotel Corporation of The Bahamas where he participated in the privatization of eight government owned hotels.
He also served as Deputy Chairman of the Caribbean Hotel Association Charitable Trust (CHACT) the private public sector organization created to market the Caribbean after September 11th 2001.
Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace married the former Tietchka Knowles of Nassau and has four children, Aleksandr, Arianna, Kilian and Cydnay.
| 
