KUCHING: The Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) recently announced the appointment of Gary James Pinchen as its new director of operations with effect from Sept 2.
Gary James Pinchen
Pinchen will lead the BCCK operations team in covering the front and back of house to serve the needs of clients, conference delegates and visitors to the convention centre, according to a statement from BCCK yesterday.
His new role will see him work closely with the heads of event planning, culinary, banquet, audio visual technical services, stewarding, security services and housekeeping.
He also chairs the occupational safety and health committee of BCCK and oversees the running of the Raintree Restaurant in BCCK and Raintree Café in Plaza Merdeka, the two dining outlets owned and operated by BCCK.
BCCK CEO Eric van Piggelen said,“We are delighted to welcome Gary to our team. We are sure that his vast hospitality experience will prove to be valuable and the heads of the various operations sections and their team members will gain new knowledge and skills under his leadership.”
Pinchen said of his appointment as the director of operations of BCCK,“In my career, it has always been my passion to visit and work in other countries and experience different cultures. BCCK has afforded me the opportunity and challenge, and with it I will share my years of experience and skills. Conventions and banquets is where my heart lies in the hospitality industry, so you can say it’s going back to my roots.”
Born and spending his early childhood in Zimbabwe, Pinchen grew up and worked for the most part of his life in South Africa.
His journey in the hospitality field began as an in-service trainee during his hotel management studies after which he completed two years of national service as a chef.
This provided him with a solid pre-career training ground which saw him catering for up to 2,000 men a day.
Pinchen, with almost 30 years of restaurant, hotel, golf resort and game reserve experience under his belt, rose through the ranks from banqueting manager to general manager and director covering the four corners of South Africa including a stint in Lagos, Nigeria.
He was involved in a number of notable world events such as the 2005 Rugby World Cup Dinner, Cape Epic, a premier mountain bike race which enjoys the same stature as Tour de France and Queen Elizabeth II’s visit to South Africa in 1995.
Pinchen had completed a Corporate Citizenship course and sat on the committee of Skal International Winelands, a professional organisation of tourism leaders in 2011 after serving as its founding president from 2004 to 2006.
He has been married to Valerie for 20 years and they have 2 daughters, Cailin, 17, and Jordainne, 13. He enjoys the outdoors and in his spare times, indulges in golf and a good ride on the mountain bike. He is passionate about rugby and cricket, and a very ardent South African sports fan.