In the recent Australian Day Honours, Rachel Argaman was awarded an Order of Australia (OAM) for her services to Tourism and the Hospitality Industry.

This award recognises Rachel’s time with the TOGA Hospitality Group, her tenure spanning almost twenty years with the company, and moving to CEO in June 2007. 

The group was renamed TFE Hotels in 2014 with a portfolio of nearly 100 hotels in five countries and a development pipeline of nearly 30 properties, takeovers of Rendezvous Hotels and Travelodge ANZ, integrations, and the rollout of new hotel brands such as Vibe Hotels and the TFE Hotels Collection.  

She was a former Telstra National Corporate Businesswoman of the Year, HM Magazine’s Hotelier of the Year, was recognised with the first award from HotelsWorld Australia, and was a Fellow of the International Centre of Excellence.  She has also served on the boards of Tourism Australia, Accommodation Association of Australia, CAPPA, was a member of Chief Executive Women and has always been an advocate of women in leadership roles across the industry and particularly within TOGA.  In 2017 TFE took out the Women in Travel Employer of the Year title.

Rachel retired from TOGA in July 2018 and is now CEO of Opal Healthcare.

Thanks to Ruth Lilian for compiling this acknowledgement