The Club Management Association of Europe (CMAE) is delighted to announce that Paul Adams, General Manager of the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, has officially earned the globally recognised Certified Club Manager (CCM) designation.
With a distinguished career spanning over 25 years in the hospitality and club management industries, Paul has led operations at some of the most prestigious venues across the UK and Bermuda. Since 2024, he has been at the helm of the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club – one of the world’s oldest and most respected yacht clubs.
Commenting on his achievement, Torbjorn Johansson, CEO of CMAE, said:
“Paul’s global experience, operational excellence, and long-standing commitment to leadership make him an ideal example of what the CCM designation represents. We are proud to welcome him to the growing network of Certified Club Managers.”
The CCM designation is awarded to club management professionals who demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of 11 core competencies essential to running a successful club. It represents the highest level of professional development in the club industry and is recognised Globally.
Paul shares his thoughts on this momentous achievement in an exclusive Q&A:
Well done on achieving the CCM, Paul Adams. How happy are you right now?
It has been a welcome distraction from some personal challenges, and I am incredibly relieved.
In the last 20 years, you have been working in Bermuda but also a few times back in the UK. Please tell us about Bermuda – and your journey within the industry:
It has been a very interesting time, opportunities have come up that I could never have imagined and doing the CMAE courses has prepared me very well to take those on from using the skills in interviewing to management tools to cope with different situations that I found myself.
I have worked in exclusive resorts, members clubs and now a Royal Yacht Club all have unique elements which the CMAE courses have given me the critical thinking to succeed in challenging situations which I see as just opportunities to grow myself and the Club.
You sat the CCM Exam Review Course in April. How was that experience compared to “normal” training?
It was great to be around such an engaged group taking the course and ‘professors’ doing the course, having help with the case study from the business school was particularly insightful
What about your CCM journey? What will you remember the most?
There seem to be bits that I remember from each course that I use almost every week.
I still use EBI and WWW, and recently using the analysis tools SWOT & PESTLE as well, that we used in the case study.
But making friends with other Club Managers is by far the best part of the Journey!
What would be your biggest challenge at Royal Bermuda Yacht Club right now?
RBYC is a such a great Club, with an amazing History and engaged membership that all want the best for the Club, but focusing on finding the key issues of what needs to be done first and then communicating that vision. We have a great team in both Club Leadership and Staff, most challenges are opportunities for the team to learn and grow.
Anything else you want to share with people thinking about becoming CCM?
It has been an amazing journey and have got a lot out of the courses and education, more than just the content of the courses. Meeting and getting to know the others in the courses is even more valuable and enlightening.
