Adam Stewart (business executive)

Stewart speaking at a Sandals travel agent event in New York in 2014

Adam Stewart is the Chief Executive Officer and Deputy Chairman of the Caribbean-based resort company Sandals Resorts International and the ATL Group, a Jamaica-based automotive and commercial and domestic appliance distributor.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]}

Early life

Stewart was born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1981, the same year that his father, Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart purchased his first hotel and launched the Sandals Resorts chain.

Stewart was raised in Jamaica and graduated from Florida International University’s Hospitality Management Program in Miami, FL,^[10] before undertaking a fast track immersion through the company which today comprises 24 resort properties across three brands and nine Caribbean islands.

Career

During Stewart’s tenure as Chief Executive Officer, the company has witnessed numerous developments such as the addition of the Italian and Key West Villages at the company’s flagship Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort Villages & Spa,^[11] the launch of Sandals Emerald Bay in the Bahamas, a 245-room resort with a 150-slip marina and Greg Norman golf course in February 2010 ^[12] In 2008, Stewart continued the company’s expansion by launching the value brand, Grand Pineapple Beach Resorts in Jamaica and Antigua,^[13] as well as the introduction of boutique villa properties such as the 52-acre private island, Fowl Cay Resort, in the Bahamas.

In November 2013, Sandals Resorts International opened their first resort in Barbados, Sandals Barbados as well as announcing plans to build a Beaches Resort in the island in 2014.^[14] In December 2013, the company’s opened their first resort in Grenada, Sandals LaSource Grenada.^[15] The company reported that pre-sales for the resort were the best in the company's history.^[16]

Island Routes

In 2011, Stewart launched the Caribbean’s premier luxury tour company, Island Routes Adventure Tours, offering excursions throughout the region.^[17] Island Routes has since grown from a small island outpost to a multiple World Travel Award-winning company^[18] of 200 people offering hundreds of adventures in 12 islands^[19] with the enviable title of the Caribbean’s leading Tour Company in just three years.

In January 2014, Island Routes Caribbean Adventures announced it will expand its tour operations to Belize, Dominica, and St. Kitts and Nevis by the end of the year.^[20]

The ATL Group

In August 2009, Adam Stewart was appointed as CEO and Deputy Chairman of the family-owned ATL Group comprising the Jamaica Observer, and ATL Appliance Traders, a chain of domestic and commercial appliance outlets combining distributorship of electronic brands in Jamaica.^[21] ATL Appliance Traders was originally established by his father Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart in 1968 selling air conditioning units in Jamaica. Over 45 years later, ATL Appliance Traders now encompasses a broad spectrum of new sectors and is part of the largest private sector organisation in the country with over 750 employees nationwide.

In 2010, driven by his love of cars, Stewart launched ATL Automotive. ATL Automotive incorporates sales and service centres located in Kingston and Montego Bay offering exclusive sales and service of Audi, Volkswagen, Honda, Jaguar, Land Rover and Range Rover automobiles.^[22]

In April 2015, ATL Automotive announced the termination of its Jaguar and Land Rover distributorship in order to focus on new brands that would better complement the company’s growth strategy. ^[23]

In January 2016, ATL Automotive signed an agreement to become Regional Master Dealers for BMW and MINI in Jamaica and eight countries throughout the Caribbean. The regional appointment, a first ever for a Jamaican automotive company, followed a nine-month tender process that saw ATL Automotive overcome international bids from across Europe and the Americas. ^[24]

Awards

• In 2010, Stewart was awarded Caribbean World’s Travel and Tourism Personality of the Year

• In 2010, Stewart was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Torch Award from FIU^[25]

• In 2012, Stewart was awarded The Gleaners Jamaica 50 Under 50 Award^[26]

• In 2012, Stewart was awarded the World Travel Award’s Rising Star^[27]

• In June 2015, Stewart was named Hotelier of the Year 2014/2015 by the Jamaica Hotel and Tourism Association ^{[28] [29]}

• On October 4th 2015, Stewart was named the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Associations Hotelier of the Year 2015. ^[30]

• On October 16th 2015, Stewart was named the Caribbean Personality of the Year 2015 at the Caribbean World Travel & Living Awards ^[31]

ATL Racing

In 2011, Stewart launched the ATL Racing Team in partnership with leading Jamaican racing car driver, Doug ‘Hollywood’ Gore with a custom-built Audi TT.^[32]

The Sandals Foundation and Philanthropy

In 2009, Stewart founded the Sandals Foundation with the aim of uniting the region under one common goal: to lift its people through education and protect its delicate ecosystem.^[33] The Sandals Foundation looks to harness the resources, talents, partnerships and awareness behind the Sandals Resorts brand to tackle a myriad of issues affecting the Caribbean.^[34]

In 2012, Stewart also founded and currently sits as Chairman of the We Care Foundation, a local non-profit organisation that brings together Montego Bay-based individuals to raise funds and improve the facilities of the nearby Cornwall Regional Hospital.^[35] In 2012, Stewart established an internationally-accredited private sector educational institute, Sandals Corporate University. The Sandals Corporate University promotes distance learning in the Caribbean.^[36]

In 2013, Sandals Foundation provided a US$50,000 donation to the Caribbean-SickKids Paediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders project with the objective of improving outcomes for children affected by cancers and serious blood disorders in the Caribbean. Additionally, Adam Stewart was named ambassador of the project ^{[37] [38]}

Personal life

Stewart is married to Jill and lives in Montego Bay, Jamaica with their three children: son Aston and daughters Sloane and Camden.

References