Professor Kobby Mensah, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Tourism Development Company (GTDC), has been named among the 2026 Twelve Leaders Shaping Place Branding Right Now by The Place Brand Observer (TPBO).

Unveiled on 28th April 2026, the list is selected annually by TPBO’s expert community to recognise and spotlight practitioners, policymakers and researchers advancing the field in meaningful ways.

Professor Mensah is the only West African tourism development executive featured in this year’s list, joining ministers, city leaders and scholars from The Gambia, Estonia, Sweden, the UK, Chile, Thailand, Sierra Leone and the United States.

TPBO’s citation reads:
“Kobby Mensah represents a convergence of academic insight and applied leadership in destination development. His move into leading GTDC signals a broader shift in Ghana’s approach, positioning tourism as part of an integrated system connecting investment, innovation and experience design.”

With this honour, Professor Mensah enters the TPBO Who’s Who in Place Branding, a peer-recognised network of more than 500 professionals at the intersection of place, strategy and leadership.

A recognition of Ghana’s new direction

Professor Mensah was appointed CEO of GTDC by His Excellency President John Dramani Mahama, bringing to the role a strong academic and strategic perspective on tourism development.

He is a Professor of Marketing at the University of Ghana Business School, a chartered marketer (CIM, UK), and a leading voice on political marketing, digital engagement and brand positioning in Africa.

He is widely credited for pioneering digital tourism education in Ghana through the Destination Legon Tourism Marketing Exhibition, which since 2014 has challenged students to use Virtual Reality, Artificial Intelligence and immersive storytelling to let travellers ‘consume’ destinations before arrival.

Since assuming leadership at GTDC, Professor Mensah has emphasised “integrating academic expertise with practical experience to drive national development,” championing innovation, sustainability and collaborative stakeholder models.

Board reaction

Statement from GTDC Board Chairman, Mr Ben Ohene Aryee:
The Board and Management of GTDC celebrate this global acknowledgement: “This is not Prof Mensah’s trophy alone, it is bigger than that. It is Ghana winning, and proof that the reset Agenda of His Excellency, John Dramani Mahama is working,” said the GTDC Board Chair, Mr Ben Ohene Aryee.

He added that “Professor Mensah’s inclusion affirms what we have long believed: that tourism is no longer a standalone sector. It is the connective tissue between investment promotion, cultural diplomacy, youth employment and place experience. His academic rigour paired with applied leadership is exactly the convergence TPBO has recognised.”

In his response, Professor Mensah noted that “I am humbled to stand alongside colleagues who are redefining how nations and cities build credibility. For Ghana, this is a call to action. At GTDC, our mandate is to mobilise resources for investment, support SMEs, and enhance service levels across the sector. We will do this by treating Ghana’s brand as infrastructure – coordinated, evidence-based, and co-created with communities, creatives and investors.
This recognition belongs to the team at GTDC, to UGBS, and to every young Ghanaian innovator proving that place branding is not about slogans, it is about systems.”

About the honour

TPBO’s “People to Watch” identifies leaders whose work moves place branding beyond communications into policy, economy and long-term value creation. Past honourees include ministers driving national repositioning, city directors aligning tourism with talent attraction, and scholars advancing measurable models of reputation and soft power.

Professor Mensah was profiled alongside:
• Abdoulie Jobe, Minister of Tourism, The Gambia
• Andres Kask, City of Tallinn
• Klara Enbom Burreau, Kiruna Municipality, Sweden
• Nabeela Farida Tunis, Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Sierra Leone, among others.

About GTDC

The Ghana Tourism Development Company Limited is mandated to promote and mobilise resources for investment in tourism ventures, seek equity participation in joint ventures with local and international investors, and provide financial and technical assistance to small businesses in the tourism industry.