Dr Andy Wood OBE, CEO of Adnams, was recognised for his Outstanding Contribution to Tourism at the East of England Tourism Awards 2023-2024.

Dr Wood is retiring next year after an outstanding career supporting hospitality and tourism in Suffolk. He was presented with the Outstanding Contribution to Tourism Award, sponsored by Hoseasons, at a ceremony at Snape Maltings, Suffolk, on February 15.

He joined Adnams in the mid-1990s, taking on responsibility for developing its customer service and supply chain operations. In 2000, he was appointed sales and marketing director, then managing director in 2006 and chief executive in 2010.

Under his stewardship, Adnams has invested heavily in product development and sustainability – so much so that Dr Wood has become a visiting professor on sustainability at the University of East Anglia.

Outside of steering the growth of one of the county’s biggest brands, the list of Dr Wood’s achievements is extensive, including an MBA, doctorate, multiple honorary doctorates, an OBE, the FIRST Special Award for Environmental Responsibility and the title of HRH The Prince of Wales’ ambassador for responsible business in the East of England.

The judges said that, as the founding chairman of New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), Dr Wood made the organisation “one of the best performing LEPs in the UK, constantly pushing the visitor economy as the largest sector and the biggest employer when it was seen as something of a ‘Cinderella’ industry”.

His advocacy of the visitor economy led Dr Wood to be appointed as a member of the VisitEngland advisory panel and as chairman of Visit East of England in 2019.

As chairman, he has championed partnership working across local authorities and destination management organisations (DMOs).

He has also continued to promote hospitality “as a great career for anyone”, they added before concluding by saying they “can’t imagine you’ll find someone better qualified to receive this award” and that the win is “a great swansong for a fabulous career supporting the visitor economy and hospitality”.

“It’s wonderful to have won this award,” said Dr Wood. “I had a long career in this sector and it’s been great to tell the story of the East of England. 

“I have been privileged to work with Adnams for many, many years, but also all the other businesses that make the tourism industry so great.”

The winners of the East of England Tourism Awards 2023-2024 were announced at Snape Maltings, Suffolk on Thursday, February 15. To find out about all of the winners, click here.

For more information about the awards, please visit tourismawards.co.uk

About the sponsor

Hoseasons is one of the UK’s leading self-catering accommodation specialists, with more than 29,000 places to stay in coastal and countryside settings throughout Britain.

From lodges and parks, to boats, cottages and apartments, the brand offers the widest available range of self-catering holidays in the UK.

Hoseasons accommodates more than two million holidaymakers and more than 170,000 pets every year and is part of Awaze – Europe’s leading managed vacation rentals and holiday resorts business.

For additional information, please visit hoseasons.co.uk