Candidates the Hawaii Tourism Authority might consider to replace Mike McCartney as president and CEO include David Uchiyama, HTA vice president of brand management, former HTA Board Chairman Ron Williams, Mufi Hannemann, who was recently defeated in his run for governor but has served as Honolulu mayor and past leader of the Hawaii Lodging and Tourism Association, and Alfred Grace, president and CEO of the Polynesian Cultural Center.
The Tourism Authority, which markets the state as a tourist destination, will soon name an interim leader and appoint a search committee to replace McCartney, who said Friday he is leaving the agency to serve as Gov.-elect David Ige’s chief of staff.
McCartney, who headed the HTA for five years, will work through Nov. 20. The eight-member HTA board is expected to discuss details of their search for McCartney’s successor at its regularly scheduled meeting on Nov. 20 at 9:30 a.m. at the Hawai‘i Convention Center.
HTA Board Chairman Aaron Sala congratulated McCartney on his appointment and said his leadership contributed to record levels of growth for tourism and created a solid foundation for continued success.
Hawaii’s visitor industry set records in 2012 and 2013 and is on pace to hit another milestone this year. During the first nine months of the year, higher average daily spending contributed to $11.1 billion in visitor spending, which was 2 percent higher than the same period last year. Total arrivals hit 6.22 million visitors, which was on par with the first nine months of 2013.
McCartney was selected after the controversial resignation of former HTA President and CEO Rex Johnson. Johnson resigned in October 2008 after being accused of using his state-issued laptop computer to forward sexist and racist jokes and pornographic emails to friends.
Following Johnson’s departure, HTA named Lloyd Unebasami, HTA’s then chief administrative officer, as interim president and CEO. McCartney was eventually appointed to the position after HTA hired SearchWideQ LLC to assist in recruiting.
"Mike has done a really good job of rebuilding HTA’s credibility in the community and politically," said Rick Egged, president of the Waikiki Improvement Association. "I also believe Rex did a good job, but the whole controversy over his departure left the HTA in a kind of limbo. There was a lot of concern expressed about HTA’s direction at that point. Mike did a good job restoring political and community stability. David Ige has made a very smart move."
Keith Vieira, who previously served on the HTA board and is now principal of KV and Associates Hospitality Consulting, said HTA will need to immediately appoint a qualified interim leader.
"It’s going to be so important for them to have the right person in place while they look," Vieira said. "Then they’ll need to go through the process of vetting candidates, which at this level could easily take eight or nine months."
Industry insiders said Uchiyama and Williams should be on the shortlist to serve as interim and maybe even permanent candidates. Hannemann has been discussed as a possibility.
HTA board members are appointed by the governor.
Vieira said HTA must look for a person with a leadership background, tourism knowledge and strong legislative relationships. The right candidate might not be easy to recruit, he said.
"It’s a tricky position. It’s hard, hard work, and the pay is such that someone who is a senior leader in the industry might view the job as a step back," Vieira said.
McCartney, who leaves the position with a salary of $270,000, said it was an honor and privilege to work at HTA.
"I will always look back at my time at HTA as a special time in life. I appreciate and respect all the men and women that work in the industry to make it work every day," McCartney said. "We have to remember that it’s our people, place and culture that makes the Hawaiian Islands a unique destination."
However, he added that the new job is a "once-in-a-lifetime chance" and said he looks forward to creating "a future to ensure the next generations can call home."
McCartney said the continued success of Hawaii tourism depends on the visitor industry being able to "keep its momentum going in a competitive world."
Uchiyama and Williams did not return a call to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Hannemann, who works as a business consultant, said his current priority is post-election cleanup and thanking his supporters.
"It’s too soon for me to ponder that right now, but I do love tourism, as you know," Hannemann said. "I think it will be very important that we pick the right person to replace Mike. He did a very good job."
Hannemann said he worked closely with McCartney during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting of heads of state.
"He (McCartney) was a critical component of making sure that we gave APEC leaders and attendees a wonderful experience," Hannemann said. "I also enjoyed working with Mike on the Pro Bowl when we were hamstringed by the governor, who wasn’t throwing out the welcome mat. We made sure that it came and that was more than a game."
Hannemann, who recommends that the board add the PCC’s Grace to its list of possibilities, said candidates should be poised to pursue further tourism opportunities in Asia.
"We need to make sure our infrastructure is there with the reopening of the Kona Airport as an international port of entry and making sure that we pursue opportunities that will ease access for our visitors from China," he said. "In the past I’ve advocated for a pilot visa waiver program for Hawaii that if successful could be expanded to the rest of the U.S. Such a program would be important to maintaining the share of these visitors that we have."
