Owner & Chairman of the Board
UNIGLOBE Travel International Limited Partnership

Since developing the idea for UNIGLOBE Travel in 1979, and founding it in 1980, U. Gary Charlwood has guided the growth of the franchise travel organization to the point where UNIGLOBE Travel International today more than 750 locations in more than 40 countries worldwide: including Canada, the United States, Great Britain, Ireland, Japan, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, South Africa and the Middle East.

Charlwood is certainly no stranger to success in the franchise industry.  In 1975, he and a partner bought the master franchise rights for Century 21 Real Estate Canada Limited Partnership.  Today, CENTURY 21 Canada is one of the largest real estate companies in the nation with more than 400 locations and 7,000 salespeople.  CENTURY 21 Canada is part of the 8,500 office worldwide CENTURY 21 organization.  In 2003, CENTURY 21 Canada expanded into the Asia Pacific theatre with offices in Taiwan, Hong Kong/Macao, Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, The Philippines and Brunei.  Currently, there are 300 offices there.  It is however, expected to see that grow to 1,000 offices by the year 2010.

Fluent in German, English and French and able to converse in Spanish, Charlwood attended Southampton University before converting his part-time summer job as a tour guide into a full-fledged career in the travel industry. In 1966, Charlwood decided to come to Canada, and quickly landed a job as a passenger agent for Western Airlines in Vancouver, British Columbia. He quickly moved up management ranks eventually becoming Director of Consumer Affairs for CP Air.  Although not yet 30, he had just been offered a regional vice-president's position with the airline and turned it down.

Charlwood wanted to go into business for himself - to sell residential real estate.   Charlwood started selling homes at a blistering pace; 118 during his first 15 months as an agent.  Charlwood soon had enough money to buy his own real estate company in 1972. He quickly took that company, Hunt Realty, from a small operation into one of the biggest brokerage firms in Greater Vancouver.

Similar to CENTURY 21 Canada in many respects, UNIGLOBE Travel International offers independent travel agencies a top-notch marketing system and a professional sales program. It is a franchise formula that works.  UNIGLOBE Travel International is the world’s single brand travel franchise company. The success of the UNIGLOBE franchising program and agencies have been highlighted in publications such as Travel Agent, Travel Weekly, Travel Trade, Fortune, Fast Company, Franchising World, L.A. Times, USA Today, and the Wall Street Journal to name just a few.

In the mid 90’s Charlwood was named Entrepreneur Of The Year by the International Franchise Association (IFA), the world’s oldest and largest association representing the franchise industry internationally.  He is the first Canadian to ever be honored with this prestigious international recognition.  He was also appointed as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the International Franchise Association in 1998.  He is the first non-U.S. citizen to hold this honour.   Having served for many years as Chair of it’s various committees, including the Franchise Relations, Awards, Convention, Nominations, Past Chairmen’s and Executive Committees and today attends the Association’s Board Meetings as an advisor along with other past Chairmen.  The IFA recognized his contributions to franchising by inducting him into the IFA Hall of Fame in 2008 along with other luminaries of the industry such as past recipients Ray Kroc of McDonald’s, Kemmons Wilson of Holiday Inns, Palmer Waslien of
7-Eleven, Henry Block of H&R Block and Fred DeLuca of Subway.

In September 2009, U. Gary Charlwood, was named into the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) Hall of Fame.. This Award recognizes visionaries who have had an indelible influence on the travel and tourism industry. Charlwood joins a prestigious group of past winners, including Mt. Everest climber Sir Edmund Hillary, animation legend Walt Disney, hotelier JW Marriott Jr. and pilot Amelia Earhart.

He is a sought after international authority on franchising and entrepreneurship, speaking often at international venues from Europe to Asia and Africa to North and South America.  Charlwood is also the Founding Chair of the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) Corporate Advisory Council as well as former Board Member of ASTA and its five person Executive Committee.