Winners include wellness founders and pioneers
Don Ardell, PhD and John Travis, MD
New York, NY – September 24, 2014 – The inaugural Global
Wellness Awards took place during the 8th annual Global Spa & Wellness Summit
(GSWS), in Marrakech, Morocco earlier this month. Winners included Don Ardell
and Dr. John Travis who shared the honor of being named first-ever “Wellness
Innovators;” Sarah Livia Brightwood, President, Rancho La Puerta was named
“Leader in Sustainability”; and Magatte Wade, a prominent Senegalese
entrepreneur and founder of Tiossan, a high-end skin care line, was named the
2014 “Leading Woman in Wellness”.
“Presenting our first-ever Wellness Awards at this year’s Summit marked a
significant milestone for GSWS,” said Susie Ellis, chairman and CEO. “And it
gave me great personal pleasure to be a part of an organization that is
recognizing the significant contributions made by these individuals to the spa
and wellness industry.”
Ardell and Travis, widely credited with shaping the way people think and
talk about wellness today, were honored as the founding fathers of the wellness
movement. Brightwood, who describes herself as a “gardener,” has instituted
visionary green initiatives at Rancho La Puerta, following in the footsteps of
her forward-thinking parents, founders of the ranch, Deborah and Edmond
Szekely. The “Leading Woman in Wellness” award was bestowed upon Wade due to
her on-going advocacy of African entrepreneurialism and the positive
development of Africa in the global business community. Wade’s current company
is a skin care line based on indigenous Senegalese recipes
Winners were determined by the GSWS Board of Directors. The awards were
sponsored by The Ghareini Group, a leading German manufacturer of high end spa
and beauty beds; Booker, a cloud booking system that transforms the way local
services are managed by businesses and discovered by consumers; and Wellness
Interactive, a consulting firm that provides strategic planning and educational
programs to help organizations develop corporate wellness programs.
In addition to the inaugural Global Wellness Awards, recognition was given
for the best original infographic/videographic created to reflect the 2014
Summit theme of
Fast Forwardto the Future of Spa and Wellness, and
the winning university of the 6th Annual Student Challenge was also named.
Infographic/Videographic Challenge
The video for Global Wellness Day, an initiative that has gained significant
traction since its introduction by Belgin Aksoy from Richmond Nua Wellness Spa
in Turkey, won top honors. The video depicted how the spa and wellness industry
can “Change Lives With Global Wellness Day” which is set for
June 13, 2015 and already has ambassadors across the globe. The
second place winner was Leanne Nicholls’ infographic entitled “The Future House
of Wellness”.
Student Challenge
Four universities took part in the 6th Annual Student Challenge to create a
spa of the future, encompassing North African culture. Mohammand V University
Rabat, Agdal, Morocco was the winner. The business students worked alongside
architect Luciano Mazza, Vice President of HKS Architects, who brought their
vision to life.
Sponsors of this year’s student challenge were: Chiva-Som; Four Seasons
Hotels & Resorts; Klafs Group; Red Door Spa; FRHI Hotels & Resorts; and Taj
Hotels Resorts and Palaces.
About the Summit: The Global Spa & Wellness Summit (GSWS)
is an international organization representing senior executives and leaders
joined by a common interest in driving economic development and understanding
of the spa and wellness industries. Delegates from diverse sectors, including
hospitality, tourism, health and wellness, beauty, finance, medical, real
estate, manufacturing and technology attend the organization’s annual Summit,
which is held in a different host country each year and attracts attendees from
over 45 countries. The GSWS is considered the leading global research and
educational resource for the $3.4 trillion spa and wellness industry. It’s
known for introducing major industry initiatives such as the Global Wellness
Tourism Congress, whose global forums bring public and private stakeholders
together to chart the course of the fast-growing wellness travel sector, and
WellnessEvidence.com, the world’s first online portal to the medical evidence
for common wellness approaches. For more information, visit www.gsws.org.
