Accreditation Decision Making Committee (ADMC)
The Accreditation Decision Making Committee (ADMC) is responsible for independently making decisions regarding the accreditation of certification bodies. Operating independently from the GSTC Secretariat, the ADMC ensures that certification bodies comply with GSTC’s rigorous accreditation requirements and upholds the integrity of the accreditation process. ADMC members are external professionals selected based on their expertise and experience in ISO 17011-based entities or other related ISO standards, with preference given to those with knowledge or experience in tourism. Members must have no conflict of interest (COI) with GSTC-Accredited Certification Bodies or GSTC-Recognized Standard Owners (current or previous).
Current members of the ADMC are listed below:
Görkem Kurşunlu Karakuş
Görkem Kurşunlu Karakuş has been a government officer for the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye for almost 20 years. During her tenure, she has worked in different departments to promote and develop Turkey’s tourism industry. After completing her university degree, Görkem pursued post-graduate studies at the University of Leicester in the UK, focusing on preserving natural and cultural heritage and tourism policies in the European Union. She then worked as the Director of the Turkish Culture and Tourism Counselor’s Office in Washington DC, USA.
Currently, Görkem serves as the Chief Inspector of the Ministry and has been actively involved in sustainable tourism policies since 2019. As a Project Coordinator, she worked on the “2023 Türkiye Tourism Master Plan” and participated in the studies conducted by the Ministry of Strategic Tourism Planning and Türkiye’s National Sustainable Tourism Program with GSTC. She has also conducted studies on competitiveness and sustainability in tourism with international organizations such as the World Economic Forum and UNWTO. Between 2021-2023, she worked as a Project Fellow for the World Economic Forum, contributing to the White Paper “Driving Türkiye’s Travel and Tourism Development” published by WEF. Currently, she is working with the authorities of the Türkiye Tourism and Promotion Agency (TGA) to implement sustainable tourism policies and destination management to promote Türkiye as a sustainable brand in the tourism industry.
Moonhyun Park
Mr. Moonhyun Park majored in mechanical engineering in college and completed a master’s degree in industrial systems engineering in graduate school. He started working as an ISO certification auditor in 2006, and responded to accreditation audits for Dakks, JAZ-ANZ, and VDA QMC at TUV Rheinland Korea and TUV SUD Korea.
He has been performing ESG-related audits since 2017, and has completed the SA8000, BSCI, RBA, RSCI, and TAPA auditor courses, and is currently working as an RBA and RSCI auditor.
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Ingunn Sørnes
Ingunn Sørnes has for the last years held a position as a special advisor in sustainable tourism in Innovation Norway. Innovation Norway is the main Governmental organization assisting innovation and economic development in different sectors in Norway, among them tourism. Ingunn is responsible for the strategy and operational work on sustainable tourism in Innovation Norway, and over the past 10 years she has developed strategies, tools and instruments for assisting destinations and tourism businesses in their development towards sustainability in tourism.
Under this work Innovation Norway launched a national standard “Sustainable Destinations” in 2013, providing DMOs with management tools, funding and monitoring capability, embedded in a managment system for destinations moving towards a more sustainable future. Up to date 17 destinations are involved in the program. Ingunn has a MSc from the University of Oslo and Oslo Business School. She also has experience from working on business and rural development in the Ministry of Agriculture, State Bank of Agriculture and Governments Regional Development Fund.