The recent appointment of Charlie Shiel to chair the Cork Branch of the Irish Hotel Federation will have come as no surprise to those working within the hotel and tourism industry here in Cork. As the General Manager of the Clarion Hotel, Charlie has personally overseen the four-stars rapid ascension to the upper echelons of Cork's hotel hotspots.

Having amassed a wealth of experience in the industry both at home and abroad, Charlie has put these lessons learned to great effect, and, in doing so, has contributed largely to the enviable reputation the Clarion now holds. He's hoping to contribute equally in his new role as Chair of the Cork Branch of the IHF, as he told the Cork Independent this week.

Sheil, a Dublin native, has worked his way through a succession of jobs in the industry since leaving the boarding school he attended in Kildare. "I started a four-year at the Shannon College if Hotel Management after leaving school. The first year was just an introduction to the basics, but in the second year I got a taste of what this industry is about. I, along with 40 students travelled to Montreux, Switzerland, a place made famous by its jazz festival. I spent some time working there and met a lot of famous people, like Sting and BB King over the course of the year."

These encounters were to eventually become commonplace, but first there was the matter of completing his course and undertaking some serious work experience. Having returned to Ireland for the third year of the course ("more intense, focused on law etc"), Charlie was required to spent his fourth year in work placement. "I was hoping to get my placement in the States, but that didn't work out. I went to the UK instead where I worked for the Swallow Hotel Group and ended up staying there for the next five years. I started as trainee manager and worked my way up from London to Newcastle and Sunderland. It was a good time for me and the company, which was very progressive, gave me a valuable learning experience."

Charlie returned to Ireland in 1998 where he took up a position in Cavan as a Deputy General Manager, but, as things would transpire, he was soon to be setting sail for lands further afield. "I was holidaying in New York and it just so happened that someone I had worked with in the UK was now employed over there. So a meeting with management from the Waldorf Astoria Hotel and Towers was arranged and I ended up getting a job there. I had always wanted to work Stateside so naturally I jumped at the opportunity, particularly as the Waldorf is such a highly regarded hotel in the city. It took some six months to get the paperwork in order, but I eventually got there."

The Waldorf, a mammoth hotel with over 1400 rooms located in the heart of Manhattan, was a significant step up for Charlie, who was suddenly thrust into the glitz and glamour of high-society. "I was placed in charge of running the top functions at the hotel, some of which played host to the biggest names in New York and America. One that stands out in my memory involved George Bush and Al Gore, their last function before they went to the polls. I did get to meet them and they both and they seemed nice, but Bill Clinton was definitely the most interesting person I met."