McLean honoured in Times Square for tourism role

Michelle McLean has been named Top Global Business Woman of the Year in Tourism and Investment by the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP), with her image displayed last week on the Nasdaq billboard in Times Square, New York.


“The billboard reveal happened last week. Our images stay up for a few minutes, over a day. Each of us gets a few minutes... They usually do it just after the Nasdaq bell is rung each day at 09:00 in Times Square,” she said. “It really is ‘Living the American Dream’, even if it’s just a few minutes of fame in NYC.” The recognition follows her 2023 IAOTP Lifetime Achievement Award for philanthropic work through the Michelle McLean Children Trust.


McLean now serves as international business officer, North America, for Gondwana Collection Namibia, representing the country in tourism, trade and investment promotion. “I’m excited to utilise this opportunity as a marketing tool for tourism,” McLean said. “It really provides a global international platform for me to showcase and promote Namibia as a destination and, as the international business officer in North America for Gondwana Collection, to further the good work that we’re doing in ecotourism, conservation and community outreach programmes.”


McLean says tourism should be promoted as the face of Namibia. “It is the biggest marketing tool that we can use in terms of the greatest impact we can have in promoting Namibia and the fact that it is a safe country, probably one of the safest countries in the world. With our new woman president, Her Excellency Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, we are definitely destined for a successful and sustainable environment in which international foreign trade can come to Namibia and investment can improve and increase.”