Geoffrey Kent

Background

Geoffrey Kent was born while his parents, Colonel John and Valerie Kent, were on safari in Northern Rhodesia -- now Zambia.

Education

Kent attended the Duke of York School in Nairobi, which produced many of Kenya"s business and science leaders.

Career

Kent is credited with introducing the first luxury photographic African Safari in 1962. Growing up on the family farm in the Aberdare Highlands of Kenya, Kent"s childhood was spent in the wilds of untamed Africa. At 16, Kent undertook solitary exploration of the African continent that would in many ways come to define the course of his life.

On a two-month trek, Kent became the first to travel by motorbike 5,000 miles between Nairobi, Kenya and Cape Town, South Africa.

After attending the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, Kent saw service in countries such as Bahrain, Kuwait, and Malta. Kent"s distinguished armed forces career was cut relatively short as a result of hearing damage from years spent in heavy tanks.

Abercrombie & Kent Being influenced by his time in the British Military, Kent repositioned the safari experience as a "hunt with a camera, not with a gun" and introduced the first mobile tented safari"s with refrigeration that made it possible to have fresh meat, fruit, vegetables and ice in the bush. Kent"s Luxury Cocoon style safari attracted numerous celebrities such as James Brolin, Kristin Davis, Bill Gates, John Grisham, Tom Hanks, Doctor.Henry Kissinger, Goldie Hawn, Lauren Hutton, Sharon Lawrence, Liam Neeson, Rachel Ray, Diane Sawyer, Jane Seymour, Barbara Walters, Denzel Washington and Oprah Winfrey"s Book Club.

Kent pioneered travel by private jet with The Royal Air Tour in 1989, having been the first to feature the Concorde Supersonic Jet with British Airways.

These efforts were recognized by the World Travel and Tourism Council"s Tourism for Tomorrow Awards, Condė Nast Traveler with their World Savers Award for leadership in social responsibility, and by Travel + Leisure with their Global Vision Award for Leadership in Philanthropic Travel.

Achievements

• Kent is a founding member of the World Travel and Tourism Council the world"s largest organisation for travel and tourism. He served as a Chairman on the council for 6 years. Geoffrey Kent was inducted to the British Travel and Hospitality Industry Hall of Fame on April 17, 2012. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Travel Weekly Readers Choice Awards in 2014.

Membership

Kent is a founding member of the World Travel and Tourism Council the world"s largest organisation for travel and tourism.