Geoffrey Kent
Founder, Chairman & CEO
Geoffrey Kent is the Founder, Chairman and CEO, the prime mover of the Abercrombie & Kent Group of Companies.
Born in 1942 in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) to Valerie Kent and Colonel John Kent of the famed King's African Rifles, Geoffrey grew up on the family farm in the Aberdare Highlands of Kenya. His boyhood was filled with the lore and drama of untamed Africa and sowed the seeds that would grow into the two great passions of his life: a thirst to explore uncharted territory and an overwhelming desire to excel.
At 17, Geoffrey set out to explore Africa, traversing the continent from Kenya to Cape Town, South Africa, in so doing, becoming the first individual to complete the 5,000-mile route on a motorbike.
In keeping with the family tradition, Geoffrey attended the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst. A talented polo player, Geoffrey was a commissioned officer in the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards and saw service with the British Forces in Aden, Libya, Kuwait, Bahrein and Muscat, later serving with the UN Forces in Cyprus. Damage to Geoffrey's high frequency hearing, attributed to his years in heavy tanks and scout cars, caused him to abandon his hopes for a military career and return to Kenya to assist his now retired father in his new venture, a luxury safari operation, Abercrombie & Kent, in Nairobi.
In 1966, Geoffrey succeeded his father at the helm of A&K, extending the company's reach beyond the boundaries of East Africa, to establish what it is today, one of the most recognised luxury travel brands in the world, with over 50 offices present on all seven continents. Pioneering the modern luxury safari, Geoffrey was one of the first to use marketing methods to bring the safari message to the general public.
In conjunction with Jorie Butler Kent, Geoffrey Kent founded Friends of Conservation an international organization seeking to preserve the world's endangered natural environment, marshalling local support to find rational solutions to ecological problems. Responsible tourism - the principle being "to deliver an unfailingly high level of service, paired with an equally high regard for ecological concerns" - is integral to the A&K company philosophy.
In October 2006, Geoffrey Kent was appointed Chairman of the WTTC, the chief forum for business leaders in the Travel & Tourism industry. He is also a Council member of the Prince of Wales's Business Leader's Forum.