From Manchester to Malta … and back
The directors of MBN UK are proud to host subscribed MBN Members and Guests to an exclusive lunch with Gary Neville, retired footballer, head coach and assistant manager, TV commentator, entrepreneur and one of the most decorated English and European footballers of all time, and Winston J Zahra, prominent businessman, hotelier and CEO of GG Hospitality, a Manchester based hotel and catering company founded by former Manchester United footballers known as the Class of ’92 which includes Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs.
They will be talking about experiences From Manchester to Malta … and back
At the height of their playing careers, Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs were regular visitors to Malta for R&R and as guests of the local supporters’ club, the oldest established official Manchester United Supporters Clubs outside of the UK.
In 2009 they were in Malta for the 50th anniversary celebrations of the local supporters’ club, met Winston and struck up a conversation about a hotel investment Gary and Ryan were about to make in the UK. The conversation led to Gary and Ryan investing in Island Hotel Group plc later that year when the company went public.
IHG plc was eventually sold to IHI plc (Corinthia Hotels), in what was a first for the Malta Stock Exchange. Winston served as MD for Malta and Spain for two years before stepping out of his executive role at IHI but maintained his shareholding and his non-executive positions in IHI. It was at this point that Gary and Ryan asked if Winston would join them in Manchester as CEO of GG Hospitality and also as an investor in the Stock Exchange Hotel due to open later this year.
The lunch takes place on Thursday June 27 2019 at the Corinthia Hotel, London. Tickets are available at a first come first served basis for MBN UK and MBN Malta members, and then guests.
Venue: Northall Private Dining Room, Corinthia Hotel, Whitehall Place, London, SW1A 2BD, UK
Time: 12.30 for 1pm to 2.30pm
Welcome drink served at 12.30.
Dress Code: Business
Tickets: £100 per person, payable in advance.
This will be a very popular event so please RSVP at your earliest and reserve your tickets by emailing treasurer@maltabusinessnetwork.com. Please inform us if you have any special dietary requirements.
For any queries, kindly email treasurer@maltabusinessnetwork.com.
Gary Neville
Gary Neville is a retired football player and a key member of the famous Class of ’92 Manchester United squad. He is the co-owner of Salford City Football Club and since retiring from football in 2011, Gary went into punditry and was a commentator for Sky Sport until he took over the head coach position at Valencia in 2015. He returned to his position as a pundit for Sky Sports in late 2016 to become the most respected and followed pundit in football. He was also assistant manager for the England national team from 2012 to 2016.
Gary spent his entire playing career at Old Trafford and at the time of his retirement in 2011, he was Manchester United’s second longest serving player in the squad, behind long-time teammate Ryan Giggs and had served as club captain for five years. He is one of the most decorated English and European footballers of all time, having won a total of 20 trophies, including eight Premier League titles and two Champions League titles.
Gary made his international debut in 1995 and was first-choice right-back for England for more than ten years, representing the nation at three European Championships and two World Cups. He is England’s most-capped right-back with 85 caps.
Winston J. Zahra
Winston J. Zahra is the CEO of GG Hospitality, a Manchester-based hotel and catering company founded by former Manchester United footballers known as the Class of ’92, which includes Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs.
GG Hospitality operates Hotel Football and Café Football in Manchester. Hotel Football, located 50 metres away from Old Trafford football stadium, was the brainchild of Gary Neville and is today owned by Singaporean entrepreneur Peter Lim together with Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Philip Neville and Nicky Butt.
GG Hospitality is also responsible for the design, development and operation of the high-profile Stock Exchange Hotel, a brand new boutique hotel located in the centre of Manchester, scheduled to open in Q4 of 2019. The Stock Exchange is a 1906 Edwardian building which has been fully restored and converted into a 40-room boutique hotel and residences over the past two years.
Winston qualified in Hotel and Catering Management at Portsmouth University and on his return to Malta, joined Island Hotel Group, a small family business at the time. He was responsible for the start-up of an event company, which under his management became the leading event caterer in Malta. Winston was key to the growth of the hotel group which also included the opening of 25 Costa Coffee shops under franchise in Malta and the south of Spain. In 2009 Winston led the group’s transition from a family business to a public company quoted on the local Stock Exchange, and in 2015 concluded the sale of the Group to International Hotel Investments plc. (Corinthia Group). He remained involved in IHI till he joined GG Hospitality in the U.K in 2018, but remains a shareholder and board member on a number of boards within IHI.
A Fellow of the Institute of Hospitality, a Lifelong Honorary Member of the Malta Institute of Management and a member of the Young Presidents Organisation (YPO), Winston has also occupied various posts on national boards, including the main board of the Malta Tourism Authority and Malta International Airport.
He was elected as the youngest President of the Malta Hotels & Restaurants Association at the age of 32 and served as President for a full term. He remained active at council level for 12 years. Winston also served on the board of the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality for two years and on the board of the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development. He was recognised as the “Young Hotelier of the World” for 1999, and in 2009 Winston was chosen as the Johnnie Walker Man of the Year in the Entrepreneurship category.
In 2015 Winston set up the Lisa Maria Foundation in Malta together with his Uncle, Tony Zahra. It is the foremost organisation dedicated to safeguarding of young people through legislative and culture change.
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