Image credit: taken from ‘thecaterer.com’
We are immensely saddened to learn of the passing of Willy Bauer who served on the NSIF board as a patron and loyal supporter of the charity for over ten years.
Willy was a well-known and greatly respected figure in the Hotel and Leisure industry, having an extremely successful career spanning 50 years. He first moved to the UK from Germany in 1962, and by 1975 had become the General Manager and Executive Director of the then Hyde Park Hotel, now The Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park. He was credited for turning this ailing hotel around to what is now Trust House Forte’s flagship hotel.
From here he went on to achieve similar results at Grosvenor House, before becoming the General Manager and Managing Director at the Savoy hotel, which during his 8-year tenure, earned him the soubriquet ‘Saviour of The Savoy’
In 1989, Willy went on to become chief executive of the Wentworth Group, which under his leadership became the blueprint for many golf and country clubs in the UK.
Amongst his many other accolades, his services to the hospitality industry were recognised in the 2011 New Year’s Honours list when in he was awarded an OBE.
Alongside his career, Willy supported a number of charities and foundations, including NSIF.
He was always keen to use his connections to benefit the charity, and we will be forever grateful both for his support and the contributions he made.
Willy was a true gentleman, kind-mannered and was always a pleasure to work with. He will be missed by all those that served on the Board and were part of the nsif team.
Our thoughts go out to his wife Zdenka and his family at this sad time.
