GHACP Project Leaders

Howard Field, FCA, FHOSPA, FIH
Lead Project Consultant,
Europe, Asia, India

Chartered Accountant (UK). Fellow of Institute of Hospitality. Founder Member, Hon Fellow of Hospitality Professionals Association and recipient of Lifetime Achievement Award. Member of HOSPA Technical Committee. Founder Member, Hon Fellow, of Hotel Controllers & Accountants Association (Hong Kong). Author of guides to the Use and Interpretation of the Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry for UK and Hong Kong.

Member of HFTP International Committee. Recipient of HFTP’s 2012 Paragon Award.

Oxford Brookes University Visiting Fellow, guest lecturer and student mentor. Also Steering Committee member and mentor on Savoy Society Mentoring Scheme Life Patron of Springboard UK hospitality industry charity.

45+ year career within the hospitality sector at unit, divisional and corporate levels, principally in senior financial management functions. Including four and five star UK and international hotels including Royal Garden and Carlton Tower hotels in London, Commonwealth Holiday Inns of Canada Europe Division, and the Savoy Group. Also as Director of a hospitality advisory consultancy and founder of FM Recruitment, specialising in hotel financial and IT management positions, analysts and professional consultants. Acted as advisor and independent director involved in owner/operator relationships, management contracts, asset management, hotel accounting standards, business strategy, and investor due diligence.

Anna McFarland, CPA, CFE, CHAE, CHTP
Project Consultant,
Americas

Anna McFarland, CPA, CFE, CHAE, CHTP is an entrepreneur and global hospitality consultant, who has experience providing relationship-based, boutique-style consulting, as well as IT and training solutions to hospitality organizations worldwide. She is a global financial services veteran with 30 years of finance and performance management, fraud and compliance experience. This is derived from her tenure as a licensed CPA with local and regional public accounting firms, executive positions with high profile hospitality management companies and consulting clients in the United States and internationally. McFarland is also a Global Past President with Hospitality Financial & Technology Professionals - HFTP. She has earned the designations for: Certified Fraud Examiner - CFE, Certified Hospitality Accounting Executive - CHAE and a Certified Hospitality Technology Professional - CHTP. She is also a frequent university and conference speaker on fraud, ethics, strategy, innovation and collaboration for industry performance.

Arlene Ramirez, CHE, CHAE
Project Consultant,
Americas

Arlene Ramirez is founder and principal of ADR Hospitality Consulting with over 20 years of experience in hospitality finance and accounting. Ramirez has held various financial leadership roles in the finance accounting field ranging from property Director of Finance to Corporate Director of Financial Operations with companies such as Marriott Hotels, Four Seasons Hotels and Benchmark Hospitality International. Ramirez is also on the faculty at the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel Restaurant Management, University of Houston, teaching finance and accounting courses in the hotel and restaurant management curriculum.

An active member of Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP) for over 20 years Ramirez has served as president of the Greater Houston Chapter, director on the global board, and chair of the Educational Advisory Council. She has authored and co-authored numerous articles on hotel accounting and finance for “The BottomLine” (the organizations award winning magazine) and has been a speaker at various association conferences and Webinars.

Ramirez holds a BBA in accounting from The University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from Sam Houston State University. She is a Certified Hospitality Accounting Executive (CHAE), a Certified Hospitality Educator (CHE) and is also fluent in Spanish.

Dr. Agnes Lee DeFranco, Ed.D., CHAE, CHE
Project Consultant,
Americas, Asia

Professor, Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management, University of Houston.30+ years of education and industry experience. Served as Interim Dean, Associate Dean, and Director of Graduate Studies of the college with eight years as the Associate Vice President for Undergraduate Studies at UH.

Recipient of teaching awards at both the college and university levels, Dean's Award for Excellence in Applied Research, Best Paper Award from the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant and International Education (I-CHRIE).Co-author of five textbooks including hospitality financial accounting, hospitality financial management, and cost control, published over 70 refereed articles. Named Distinguished Alumna and Young Alumna by the Hilton College Alumni Association, Outstanding Faculty by the Houston Alumni Association, and H. J. Heinz Graduate Fellowship awardee.

Proud 2009 HFTP Paragon Award recipient and 2006-2007 HFTP Global President, member of I-CHRIE's Finance and Future Fund committees and past Treasurer. Past presidents of Phi Beta Delta and Phi Kappa Phi honour societies at UH. Active in several organizations in both hospitality and education arenas including:   I-CHRIE, Association of Hospitality Financial Management Educators, and the Association of America Colleges and Universities.

Ian Millar, CHTP
Project Consultant,
Europe

Senior Lecturer at Ecole Hoteliere De Lausanne. Millar has a double expertise in the areas of hospitality and information technology, and is a frequent presenter at international IT conferences. He has served on the HFTP Global Board of Directors, and is currently serving on the HFTP Global Executive Committee.

Lisa Funk, CHAE
HFTP President at GHACP Implementation

Although GHACP was an HFTP goal for many years, Lisa Funk was the HFTP President during its implementation. One of her main priorities during her presidency was to help champion the project to organizations around the world. She also worked with the inaugural research team based at EHL.

Frank Wolfe, CAE
HFTP Liaison

Frank Wolfe, CAE, is the chief executive officer for Hospitality Financial and Technology Professional's (HFTP). Having joined the association in March 1991, Wolfe started as the association’s director of education. He became executive vice president/CEO of HFTP in 1994 and at that time was one of the youngest association CEOs in North America. As HFTP’s CEO, Wolfe oversees the association’s operations, as well as represents the association worldwide at industry events, on industry boards and committees, and via the news media.

Wolfe is currently a regular columnist for Hotel Management magazine, where he writes about current technology trends in the hospitality industry. He frequently speaks on hospitality finance and technology issues to hospitality groups, press and consumers, in more than 20 countries.

In June 2011, Wolfe was inducted into the HFTP International Hospitality Technology Hall of Fame, which recognizes visionaries and their impact on the hospitality technology industry. He joined 32 other inductees to the Hall of Fame. In addition, in October 2002, Wolfe received the HFTP Paragon Award in recognition of his significant and lasting contribution to both HFTP and the hospitality industry.