The Global Spa and Wellness Summit (GSWS) has appointed Franz Linser, PhD – founder and managing director of international consulting firm Linser Hospitality – to its board of directors, guiding the GSWS as it expands its mission and identity over the next few years.

Linser brings two decades of experience in the hospitality, wellness, spa, sports and political worlds to GSWS. At age 28, he was responsible for the Austrian National ski team’s training and went on to develop a patented training system for high-profile athletes and rehab patients.

After starting two separate wellness tourism consultancy firms, Linser brought his experience of health and tourism into politics, serving as a Member of European Parliament from 1996-1999, and later in the regional Tyrolean legislative.

Austria’s largest “cluster” of wellness properties was also established by Linser, the ‘Wellness Tirol’ – which spans more than 100 countries today. In 2013 he co-founded VAYU International, a firm specialising in the management of medical resorts.

“Anyone that knows Franz knows his incredible passion for wellness and for every project he undertakes,” said Susie Ellis, GSWS chairman and CEO. “He brings such an extraordinary background and is a real mastermind in pioneering new wellness tourism models. He will prove an invaluable asset in helping the GSWS expand its vision for, and place in, the global wellness industry going forward.”

“I believe that the GSWS is the best spa and wellness industry network on the planet,” said Linser. “And because its Board of Directors combines so much individual expertise, across diverse wellness sectors, the organisation is uniquely positioned to be a true thought-leader for this multi-dimensional, multi-trillion-dollar market.”

“Our mission is to create a progressive, comprehensive organisation that will be a powerful resource for the coming ‘world of wellness 2020,’ with its many new facets and players,” Linser added. “I’m very grateful to be one of the architects tasked with accomplishing that.”