Best Startup
At Best Startup US we track over 1,000,000 US startups and over 3 million people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top United States based President operating in the Hospitality space. If you think a President is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on editor@beststartup.us.
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Chris Johnson
Executive Vice President, Nestlé Business Excellence of Nestlé
Chris Johnson is a Executive Vice President, Nestlé Business Excellence at Nestle.
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About Nestlé, Swiss American Chamber of Commerce: Nestlé manufactures and sells food and beverage for several countries.
Patrice Bula
Executive Vice President Nestlé S.A., of Nestlé
Patrice Bula serves as a Member of Executive Board at Nestlé S.A., and has been its Executive Vice President of Strategic Business Units – Marketing, sales, Nespresso since May 1, 2011. Bula holds MSc in Economic Sciences from Lausanne University HEC (Switzerland) and Program for Executive Development – IMD Lausanne.
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About Nestlé: Nestlé manufactures and sells food and beverage for several countries.
Mark Broduer
Vice President Global Head, Digital Marketing Innovation of Nestlé
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About Nestlé: Nestlé manufactures and sells food and beverage for several countries.
Mark Bemis
Senior Vice President and President of Archer Daniels Midland Company
Mark A. Bemis is ADM’s senior vice president and president, North America. He also serves as the company’s chief risk officer, managing ADM’s aggregate commodity risk and overseeing the company’s risk management strategy. In addition, Bemis serves as ADM’s safety champion; as such, he helps to lead the company’s efforts to build and maintain a strong safety culture. He also oversees the company’s procurement group, and he has oversight of community engagement efforts, including ADM Cares, the company’s social investment program. Previously, Bemis was president of ADM’s Corn Processing business unit. Before that, Bemis served as president of ADM’s Cocoa, Milling, and Financial Services businesses; earlier, he was vice president and general manager for ADM Cocoa North America. In addition, he has held various merchandising and management positions in the company’s Agricultural Services, Malt, Corn Processing, and Oilseeds Processing businesses since joining ADM in 1983. He became a vice president of the company in 2005, and a senior vice president in 2010. Bemis was chairman of ADM’s Sustainability Steering Committee from 2007 to 2010, a period in which the company made significant progress in its three principal sustainability focus areas: supply chain integrity, water-resource management, and energy and climate change. Bemis serves on the boards of the Red Star Yeast Company LLC; Eaststarch C.V.; and Almidones Mexicanos, S.A. de C.V. He holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from the University of Illinois.
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About Archer Daniels Midland Company: Archer Daniels Midland Company offers food ingredients, animal feeds and feed ingredients, biofuels, and other products.
Ray Young
Executive Vice President and CFO of Archer Daniels Midland Company
Ray G. Young is executive vice president and chief financial officer of Archer Daniels Midland Company. In his role, he oversees the company’s treasury, tax, accounting, investor relations, financial planning, business development and information technology functions as well as the captive insurance and ADM Investor Services organizations. Young is also responsible for strategic oversight of ADM’s business in Asia. Young joined ADM in 2010 following a 24-year tenure with General Motors Co., during which he held executive leadership positions in finance, general management, planning and operations on four continents. Young served in Shanghai as vice president of GM International Operations, which is responsible for GM’s emerging-market operations. Earlier, he was the CFO of General Motors during 2008 and 2009, when the company went through a significant operational and financial restructuring. Between 2004 and 2007, Young was the president and managing director of GM do Brasil and Mercosur Operations, based in São Paulo. Young graduated in 1984 from The Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario, in London, Ontario, Canada, with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago. Young serves on the boards of directors of International Paper Company and the U.S.-China Business Council. He is a member of the board of directors of the American Cancer Society Lakeshore Division and the CFO Advisory Board of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
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About Archer Daniels Midland Company: Archer Daniels Midland Company offers food ingredients, animal feeds and feed ingredients, biofuels, and other products.
Christopher M. Cuddy
Senior Vice President and President of Archer Daniels Midland Company
Christopher M. Cuddy is senior vice president and president of ADM’s Corn Processing business unit. In that role, he has responsibility for all commercial activity, operations and production for the company’s global Corn business. He also oversees the company’s renewable chemicals and animal nutrition businesses. Previously, Cuddy served as president, Sweeteners and Starches, in ADM’s Corn Processing business unit. In that role, he was responsible for all commercial activities of the company’s North American sweetener, starch, fiber and acidulant businesses. Cuddy joined ADM in 1998 and has held a variety of merchandising and management roles prior to leading the sweeteners and starches group, including president, Almidones Mexicanos, SA de CV (Almex), an ADM joint venture based in Guadalajara, Mexico. Before that, Cuddy was vice president, ADM Corn Processing, managing the commercial activities of ADM’s corn wet milling business, including sales, marketing, and distribution of corn-based sweeteners and sugar. From 2000 to 2004, Cuddy served as North American sales manager, ADM BioProducts. He began his career with the company as a senior commodity trader with ADM Grain. Cuddy holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. He serves on the boards of the Corn Refiners Association and Red Star Yeast Company LLC, an ADM joint venture. He is also a board member of the Mid-Illinois Chapter of the American Red Cross.
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About Archer Daniels Midland Company: Archer Daniels Midland Company offers food ingredients, animal feeds and feed ingredients, biofuels, and other products.
Joseph Taets
Senior Vice President and President of Archer Daniels Midland Company
Joe Taets is senior vice president, president of Archer Daniels Midland Company’s Agricultural Services business unit, and president, Europe, Middle East and Africa. In his current role, Taets is responsible for the commercial activities and the operations of the company’s agricultural origination, wheat milling, and global trading, as well as ADM’s transportation network, which spans more than 75 countries. He also oversees strategy and growth activity across ADM’s business lines in Europe, Africa and India. Previously, he was president of ADM’s grain group, with responsibility for the company’s domestic and export grain businesses, grain-merchandising operations, destination-marketing business, and ocean freight and vessel operations. Earlier, he was managing director of the company’s European operations. He joined ADM in 1988. Taets serves on the boards of ADM International; ADM Crop Risk Services; American River Transportation Company; ADM Australia Holdings; Golden Peanut and Tree Nuts; ADM Grain River System Inc.; and Pacificor, LLC, an ADM joint venture. He also represents ADM on international boards in Canada, Germany, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Holland, Mexico, Panama and Switzerland. Taets holds a bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University and an MBA from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.
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About Archer Daniels Midland Company: Archer Daniels Midland Company offers food ingredients, animal feeds and feed ingredients, biofuels, and other products.
Ben Bard
Vice President and Global Chief Compliance Officer of Archer Daniels Midland Company
Ben Bard is vice president and global chief compliance officer for Archer Daniels Midland Company. In that role, he leads ADM’s Office of Compliance and oversees the company’s global compliance policies and programs, including the code of conduct, ethics helpline, anti-corruption, trade compliance, antitrust/competition law, data privacy/protection and conflict of interest programs. Prior to joining ADM in 2014, Bard worked for The Coca-Cola Company, where he was responsible for managing the company’s international ethics and compliance programs, including anti-corruption, global trade sanctions, anti-boycott, conflict of interest and third-party due diligence. Prior to his time at Coca-Cola, Bard worked in compliance and risk management roles for Capital One Financial Corporation. Bard holds a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University and a Juris Doctor from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland, Ohio.
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About Archer Daniels Midland Company: Archer Daniels Midland Company offers food ingredients, animal feeds and feed ingredients, biofuels, and other products.
Grace Puma Whiteford
Senior Vice President and Chief Supply Officer of PepsiCo
Grace Puma is the Senior Vice President and Chief Supply Officer of PepsiCo.In its global portfolio of food and beverage brands, PepsiCo has 22 different brands that generate more than $1 billion each in annual retail sales. With net revenues of over $63 billion, PepsiCo’s main businesses – Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade, Frito-Lay and Pepsi-Cola – make hundreds of enjoyable foods and beverages that are respected household names throughout the world. In 2015, Grace was appointed Chief Supply Officer with expanded responsibilities where she leads a Global Supply Team comprise of: Global Logistics, Global Procurement, and PepsiCo Worldwide Flavours. In her current role as CSO, she has strategic leadership accountabilities for 11 concentrate manufacturing operations, $30B of purchase spend and ~3600 worldwide employees. Her scope of responsibility includes driving: enterprise supply chain strategy; productivity; commodity risk management; plant health /safety; product quality and supply service to the PepsiCo’s businesses. Since Grace joined PepsiCo in 2010, she transitioned procurement from a decentralized, market-based function to a centralized global procurement entity. Grace created new organizational model to ensure globally connected, locally wired work processes with 1,100+ employees and a $30B spend scope on raw commodities, direct/indirect materials, and agency & media. Grace is a seasoned executive experienced at transforming decentralized organizations into globally connected, locally wired business functions that drive performance. She is well regarded as a strategist and change agent who finds best-possible business solutions to business challenges. Grace is recognized as a top female and Hispanic leader role model across complex and decentralized global business environments. She is highly valued for her ability to find innovative solutions, build strong business relationships and develop talent. Prior to joining PepsiCo, Grace worked for United Airlines where she served as senior vice president, chief procurement officer and led the transformation to a global strategic sourcing function with an enterprise-wide scope. Grace and her team delivered significant savings across the value chain, while effectively handling risk management during the jet fuel crises in 2008. Before joining United, Grace led key areas of global procurement at Kraft Foods, including raw materials, packaging, indirect materials, transportation, logistics, and services. She also worked in strategic procurement at Motorola and Gillette. Grace holds a B.A. in Business Administration and Economics from Illinois Benedictine University. She previously served as a board member for Steppenwolf Theatre, the Institute for Supply Managers and board member for the Marietta Corporation. In 2013, Grace was recognized as the #4 CPO out of 5,000 global CPOs across all industries by ExecRank. In 2016, she was recognized as the “Executive of the Year” by Latina Style magazine.
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About PepsiCo: PepsiCo operates as a food and beverage company worldwide.
Shakti Jauhar
Vice President, Global HR Operations and Shared Services of PepsiCo
Shakti Jauhar is a global leader and data-driven executive recognized for his operational expertise in Manufacturing, Information Technology, Finance and Human Resources. Known as a transformational leader, he has a track record of setting clear strategies, driven by rigorous analytics and insights. Shakti leverages technology innovation across geographies to optimize processes, which deliver technical competencies, reduce costs and simultaneously increase efficiencies.
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About PepsiCo: PepsiCo operates as a food and beverage company worldwide.
Deborah Rosado Shaw
Senior Vice President, Chief Global Diversity and Engagement Officer of PepsiCo
Deborah Rosado Shaw is senior vice president, Chief Global Diversity and Engagement Officer of PepsiCo, a global food and beverage company with net revenues of more than $63 billion and a product portfolio that includes 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales. PepsiCo’s main businesses – Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade, Frito-Lay and Pepsi-Cola – make hundreds of enjoyable foods and beverages that are loved throughout the world. Deborah, who assumed this role in July 2014, provides leadership in guiding PepsiCo’s global Diversity and Engagement (D&E) strategy to bring together diverse strengths, backgrounds and perspectives to achieve the company’s strategic business imperatives, advance its Performance with Purpose goals and drive innovation. Building on PepsiCo’s deep legacy in D&E, she helps PepsiCo ensure that D&E is ingrained in PepsiCo, and expands pathways for developing global, multicultural thinkers, doers and innovators. Deborah was a member of PepsiCo’s Ethnic Advisory Board for 12 years, whereby she played a critical role in establishing a strategic platform that helped PepsiCo elevate its prominence as one of the most diverse companies working with minority business owners
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About PepsiCo: PepsiCo operates as a food and beverage company worldwide.
Ciara Dilley
Vice President Transform Brands & Portfolio Innovation,FLNA of PepsiCo
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About PepsiCo: PepsiCo operates as a food and beverage company worldwide.
Esperanza Teasdale
Vice President/General Manager of PepsiCo
Esperanza Teasdale leads shopper marketing for national customers and sets “opt-in” strategy and plans to multiply key customer growth. She has an extensive history at PepsiCo, beginning as brand manager in 2003. She has demonstrated excellence in a range of roles, most recently as senior director of shopper marketing for small format where her team won three vendor awards at 7-Eleven. She is a graduate of Rutgers University’s College of Engineering and the University of Connecticut.
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About PepsiCo: PepsiCo operates as a food and beverage company worldwide.
Adam Harter
Senior Vice President – Media, Sports & Entertainment of PepsiCo
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About PepsiCo: PepsiCo operates as a food and beverage company worldwide.
Tim Carey
Vice President of PepsiCo
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About PepsiCo: PepsiCo operates as a food and beverage company worldwide.
Jose Prado
President of PepsiCo
Jose Prado is a President at PepsiCo.
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About PepsiCo: PepsiCo operates as a food and beverage company worldwide.
Jose Prado
President of PepsiCo
Jose Prado is a President at PepsiCo.
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About PepsiCo: PepsiCo operates as a food and beverage company worldwide.
Mason Smoot
Senior Vice President, Strategic Alignment and Chief of Staff, of McDonald’s
As strategic alignment lead and Chief of Staff for the Office of the CEO, Mason works closely with McDonald’s most senior leaders to drive the brand’s most significant strategies across 36,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries. He also recently expanded his responsibilities as he built out our first global Transformation Office. Under his leadership, this relatively new function at McDonald’s has been designed to create visibility and transparency into the most critical initiatives for McDonald’s future growth. Previously, Mason led strategy and measurement, talent management, and benefits and compensation as Vice President, Human Resources for McDonald’s USA. A 23-year McDonald’s veteran, Mason led McDonald’s New York Metro Region for six years as General Manager. He was responsible for leading more than 620 restaurants, owned and operated by more than 140 franchisees in one of the world’s most dynamic global markets. Mason’s many years of experience in various roles have given him a strong first-hand perspective of the McDonald’s business and the market’s influence on customers’ perception of the McDonald’s brand. Mason began his career with McDonald’s in 1994. His experience has spanned disciplines including human resources, franchising, operations and field service. In 2001, he was promoted to Vice President for the Pittsburgh Region, where he was responsible for the operations of more than 400 restaurants from Rochester, NY to Southern West Virginia. In 2006, Mason became the Vice President, Operations of the New York Metro Region, where he was subsequently promoted in 2007 to General Manager.
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About McDonald’s: McDonald’s is a global foodservice retailer generating revenue through company-owned restaurants, franchise royalties, and licensing pacts.
Kevin Ozan
Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer of McDonald’s
Kevin Ozan works to position McDonald’s for long-term, enduring success. He sets financial direction and develops strategies designed to drive sustained, profitable growth for the company and enhance value for shareholders. He oversees the appropriate allocation of resources throughout the company and, at the same time, effectively manages risk through strong controls and fiscal discipline. In his role, Ozan runs McDonald’s accounting, internal audit, treasury, tax, global business services and investor relations functions. He has broad experience through a variety of financial roles across the global business, including senior-level positions in the company’s finance, investor relations and accounting departments, with assignments in both the U.S. and Europe. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President and Corporate Controller. Prior to joining McDonald’s in 1997, he worked for 11 years in Ernst & Young’s audit and mergers and acquisitions practices. Ozan serves on the Board of Directors of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland & Northwest Indiana. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Michigan and a Master in Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
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About McDonald’s: McDonald’s is a global foodservice retailer generating revenue through company-owned restaurants, franchise royalties, and licensing pacts.
Chris Kempczinski
President and CEO of McDonald’s
With an eye toward delivering a modern, progressive customer experience, Chris Kempczinski oversees strategy, planning and new concept innovation for McDonald’s. His role is to serve the business units and franchisees by identifying new ideas and best practices to accelerate their growth and grow the overall value of the system. Kempczinski has significant experience in strategy and operations with some of the world’s leading consumer companies, including Procter & Gamble, PepsiCo and most recently, Kraft Heinz. He has a proven track record of driving transformative change, which is invaluable as McDonald’s evolves its restaurant experience and business model to consistently deliver top-tier shareholder returns. Most recently, Kempczinski was Executive Vice President of Growth Initiatives and President of Kraft International, where he oversaw Kraft’s global corporate growth agenda and was responsible for driving the business in 80 countries outside of the United States, making up roughly $3 billion in net revenue. Kempczinski has an MBA from Harvard Business School and an undergraduate degree in public policy and economics from Duke University.
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About McDonald’s: McDonald’s is a global foodservice retailer generating revenue through company-owned restaurants, franchise royalties, and licensing pacts.
Richard Floersch
Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer of McDonald’s
Rich Floersch, McDonald’s Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, is responsible for overseeing McDonald’s human resources function for its 400,000 company employees in more than 100 countries. As a member of the Senior Management team, he is responsible for the company’s talent management, leadership development, rewards, and employment branding programs. Floersch joined McDonald’s from Kraft Foods International in 2003, where he had served as Senior Vice President of Human Resources since 1998. In this role, Floersch was responsible for all HR aspects of this Fortune 100 organization, which employs 50,000 personnel in 66 countries. Prior to this post, he was Vice President of Corporate Compensation at Philip Morris. Before the Philip Morris assignment, Floersch was based in the Chicago area, working for Kraft Foods North America as Vice President of Compensation. Floersch is Vice Chairman for the HR Policy Association, a public policy advocacy organization representing the chief human resource officers from more than 350 leading employers across the U.S., and is on the Executive Committee of the Personnel Roundtable. In 2008, he became the fifth recipient of the Hunt-Scanlon Advisors’ HR Leadership Award and was also named by Human Resource Executive to its Honor Roll. In 2009, Floersch was inducted into the National Academy of Human Resources (NAHR). Floersch earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Business Administration from the State of University of New York at Buffalo.
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About McDonald’s: McDonald’s is a global foodservice retailer generating revenue through company-owned restaurants, franchise royalties, and licensing pacts.
Justin Stewart
President & Co-Founder of Industrious
ustin is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Industrious. Previously Justin served as Director of Acquisitions and Operations at Windham Development and Windham China, where he headed their US Real Estate operations. He was previously a Vice President at Madison Realty Capital, but his career highlight will forever be the time he worked for the writing team at the Late Show with his childhood idol, David Letterman. He is the childhood next-door neighbor of Industrious co-founder Jamie Hodari, allowing them an early start dreaming about the future of office space. Justin can be found living with his fiancé in New York’s Lower East Side, along with their dog, confusingly named Chicken. Justin holds a Graduate Certification in Real Estate Finance and Development from NYU and a B.A. from Indiana University.
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About Industrious: Industrious is a premium flexible workspace provider that redefines the workplace experience.
Ravishankar Gundlapalli
Founder, President & Chief Solutions Officer of MentorCloud
Ravishankar Gundlapalli is the Founder, Executive Chairman, President, and Chief Solutions Officer at MentorCloud.
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About Founder Institute, MentorCloud: MentorCloud is a cloud-based mentoring platform for enterprises to accelerate digital transformation, employee engagement and retention.
Alejandro Reynal Ample
President, CEO of Apple Leisure Group
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About Apple Leisure Group: Apple Leisure Group is a vacation services company providing all inclusive vacation packages.
Stephanie Linnartz
President of Marriott International
Stephanie Linnartz is executive vice president and chief marketing and commercial officer for Marriott International, Inc. She is responsible for providing strategic leadership to the Information Technology, Brand Management, Marketing, eCommerce, Sales, Reservations, Revenue Management, and Consumer Insight functions for the Marriott Hotels, The Ritz-Carlton, JW Marriott, Bulgari, EDITION, Renaissance, Gaylord Hotels, Autograph Collection, AC Hotels by Marriott, Moxy, Courtyard, Fairfield Inn & Suites, SpringHill Suites, Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites, Protea Hotels, and Marriott Executive Apartments brands worldwide. Ms. Linnartz joined Marriott in 1997 and most recently served as Global Officer, Sales & Revenue Management. She has held various roles throughout her career with Marriott including: Senior Vice President, Global Sales; Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing Planning and Support; Vice President, Sales & Marketing Channel Strategy & Analysis; Vice President, Revenue Management; Director, Business Transformation and Integration; Director, Development Finance; Manager, Lodging Finance; and Senior Financial Analyst, Lodging Finance and Business Development. Prior to Marriott, Ms. Linnartz worked for the Hilton Hotels Corporation and held various positions in Sales and Operations in Honolulu, Hawaii and Washington, D.C. Ms. Linnartz is a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, holds a masters of business administration from the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, and has completed additional graduate studies at the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Development in Bergen, Norway. Stephanie resides in Chevy Chase, Maryland, with her husband and two young children.
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About College of the Holy Cross, Marriott International: Marriott International is a leading hospitality company with more than 3,900 properties around the world.
David Rodriguez
Executive Vice President & Global Chief Human Resources Officer of Marriott International
David A. Rodriguez assumed the role of executive vice president – global human resources for Marriott International in 2006. Dr. Rodriguez was appointed a corporate officer in 2000, and in 2004, to the board of directors’ Committee for Excellence that focuses on advancing global diversity and inclusion in the company. Dr. Rodriguez joined Marriott International and assumed the role of senior vice president – staffing & development in 1998. In 2003, he was appointed executive vice president – human resources for Marriott Lodging. Prior to joining Marriott International, Dr. Rodriguez held various human resources-related positions at Citicorp (now Citigroup) and Avon Products. Dr. Rodriguez graduated from New York University in 1980 with a bachelor of arts in psychology and in 1987 with a Ph.D. in industrial/organizational psychology. He is on the Board of Directors for Human Resources Policy Association, and a member of The Cowdrick Group, Personnel Roundtable, Advisory Council on Human Resources Management, Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology and the American Psychological Association.
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About Marriott International, Marriott International: Marriott International is a leading hospitality company with more than 3,900 properties around the world.
Tricia Primrose
Executive Vice President & Global Chief Communications & Public Affairs Officer of Marriott International
Tricia Primrose is Global Chief Communications & Public Affairs Officer for Marriott International. She is responsible for the company’s global brand public relations, corporate and internal communications, global citizenship, and government affairs. Prior to joining Marriott, Tricia had her own public relations business, Impression Partners, which then merged with Rational 360. Prior to this role, Tricia was the Executive Vice President, Global Communications and Public Affairs, at AOL from 2007 to 2011 and a Vice President at the company beginning in 1999. At AOL, Tricia led a fifty-person team and had accountability for Global Corporate Communications, Public Affairs, Publicity, Internal Communications, Event Marketing and Philanthropy. She was the external communications liaison for the board of directors and executive leadership, developed all communications strategies for more than $2.5 billion in mergers and acquisitions, and led the communications strategy for AOL’s successful public offering. Prior to her role at AOL, Tricia was an Executive Vice President at Robinson Lerer & Montgomery, a leading corporate and financial communications firm based in New York. Earlier in her career, Primrose held leadership positions with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and served as Communications Director for U.S. Senator Richard Shelby. At Marriott, Primrose will have responsibility for protecting and promoting the image and reputation of the company in partnership with the organization’s leadership, having accountability for Corporate Relations, Government Affairs, Corporate Communications Planning and Operations, and Corporate Social Responsibility, and sharing accountability for Corporate Culture. Primrose is a graduate of Georgetown University and lives in the D.C. area with her family.
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About Marriott International: Marriott International is a leading hospitality company with more than 3,900 properties around the world.
Mark Van Buskirk
Executive Vice President, Merchandising, Marketing, & Retail of Supervalu
Mark Van Buskirk is executive vice president, merchandising, marketing, and retail for SUPERVALU. As a member of the executive leadership team, Van Buskirk is responsible for overseeing companywide retail operations including merchandising and marketing efforts, along with directing SUPERVALU’s private brand offerings and retail pharmacy teams. Since 2006, he served as vice president of meat and seafood merchandising and procurement for The Kroger Co., where he was primarily responsible for the sales planning, merchandising and category management for the meat and seafood departments. Mark joined Kroger in 1992 with Fred Meyer, Inc., as a meat manager in Seattle, WA. His tenure included several key management positions including vice president of meat and seafood, group vice president of perishables, group vice president of the food division and senior vice president and director of the food division.
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About Supervalu: Super Value Market is a retail company serving customers through a network of over 3,000 owned, franchised, and affiliated stores.
Kristin Campbell
Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Hilton Worldwide
Kristin Campbell Is The Executive Vice President and General Counsel At Hilton.
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About Hilton Worldwide, The Trustees of Reservation: Hilton Worldwide is a hospitality company, owns luxury and full-service hotels and resorts, and focused-service hotels.
Matthew Schuyler
Executive Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer of Hilton Worldwide
Matthew W. Schuyler Is The Chief Brand Officer At Hilton.
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About Hilton Worldwide, Make-a-Wish Foundation: Hilton Worldwide is a hospitality company, owns luxury and full-service hotels and resorts, and focused-service hotels.
Christopher Nassetta
President & Chief Executive Officer of Hilton Worldwide
Christopher J. Nassetta is The President and CEO At Hilton.
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About Hilton Worldwide, World Travel & Tourism Council: Hilton Worldwide is a hospitality company, owns luxury and full-service hotels and resorts, and focused-service hotels.
Jennifer Chick
Vice President, Global Marketing and Digital of Hilton Worldwide
Jennifer Chick Is The Global Head, Hilton Honors & Customer Engagement At Hilton.
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About Hilton Worldwide: Hilton Worldwide is a hospitality company, owns luxury and full-service hotels and resorts, and focused-service hotels.
Danny Hughes
Executive Vice President and President, Americas of Hilton Worldwide
Danny Hughes Is The Executive Vice President & President, Americas At Hilton.
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About Hilton Worldwide: Hilton Worldwide is a hospitality company, owns luxury and full-service hotels and resorts, and focused-service hotels.
Eric Hession
Co-President Caesars Sports and Online Gaming of Caesars Entertainment
Eric Hession currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer for Caesars Entertainment. Over the course of his tenure at Caesars, he has held positions in both property operations and corporate finance. While in operations, Eric led the Planning and Analysis, Revenue Management, Distribution, and Accounting efforts for Caesars 12 Nevada properties. He most recently served as Senior Vice President of Finance and Treasurer where his responsibilities included the leadership of Treasury, Investor Relations, Risk Management and Mergers & Acquisitions. Previous to his employment with Caesars, Eric spent five years with Merck and Company, working in various capacities in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and at their New Jersey corporate headquarters. Eric grew up in Pittsford, Vermont and attended Cornell University, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering. He also holds an MBA from The Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.
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About Caesars Entertainment: Caesars Entertainment operates casinos and hotels.
Tom Jenkin
Global President of Caesars Entertainment
Tom Jenkin became our Global President in May 2013. Prior to his current role, he served as President of Operations from November 2011 to May 2013. He served as Western Division President from January 2004 through November 2011. Jenkin joined the company in 1975 as a fry cook at Harrah’s Las Vegas. In 1993, he was promoted to Senior Vice President and General Manager of Harrah’s Laughlin, and five years later was named Senior Vice President and General Manager of Harrah’s Las Vegas. Jenkin assumed oversight of the Rio and Harrah’s Laughlin in 2001 and 2002, respectively, before being named Western Division President in 2004. Jenkin has served two terms as President of the Laughlin, Nevada, Chamber of Commerce and also has served on the executive boards of the United Way of the Colorado River, the Mohave County Airport Authority, the Clark County Chapter of the American Red Cross and the Laughlin Tourism Committee. In 1996, he was named Laughlin’s Citizen of the Year. He currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Nevada Resort Association; the Board of Directors for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority; the Board of Directors for Las Vegas Events; the Board of Advisors for the Foundation for an Independent Tomorrow; and on the Opportunity Village Foundation Board.
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About Caesars Entertainment: Caesars Entertainment operates casinos and hotels.
Jan Jones Blackhurst
Executive Vice President, Government Relations & Corporate Responsibility of Caesars Entertainment
Jan L. Jones Blackhurst is Executive Vice President, Government Relations & Corporate Responsibility for Caesars Entertainment Corporation. In that role, she oversees government relations, corporate communications, corporate social responsibility and environmental sustainability for the company. Prior to joining the company in 1999, Jones Blackhurst served two terms as mayor of the City of Las Vegas. During her eight-year tenure, Las Vegas was the fastest growing city in America and was named the No. 1 city in the nation for entrepreneurs by Inc. magazine. Jones Blackhurst is the former chairwoman of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, the former director of the Nevada Resort Association, and has held senior positions with the Nevada state arm of the Democratic National Committee. She currently serves as a director of the U. S. Chamber of Commerce and the Women’s Campaign Fund in Washington, D.C. She also is a member of the Women’s Leadership Board at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Jones Blackhurst has been honored by the American Diabetes Association and the “I Have A Dream” Foundation, and she was named Humanitarian of the Year in 1998 by the Muscular Dystrophy Association. In 2005 she was honored by the Women of Diversity in their project “100 Years of Influence – The Role of Women Shaping the First 100 Years of Las Vegas.” The Human Rights Campaign awarded Jones the Equality Pioneer award in 2007. Jones Blackhurst holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Stanford University and attended the University of Southern California’s School of Food Marketing Management.
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About Caesars Entertainment: Caesars Entertainment operates casinos and hotels.
Bob Morse
President of Hospitality of Caesars Entertainment
Bob Morse is Caesars Entertainment’s President of Hospitality, based in Las Vegas. In this role, Bob is responsible for development, implementation and execution of Caesars’ integrated strategy for the Las Vegas hospitality corridor, including the Linq, as well as throughout the company’s network of resorts. He oversees all initiatives related to food and beverage, nightclubs and nightlife, hotels and pools and spas. Prior to joining Caesars Entertainment in 2014, Bob served as Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of The Americas region of IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) PLC. In his prior role, he was responsible for leading Americas’ operations for franchised and managed hotels, including InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites. Bob is a 35-year veteran of hospitality, touching almost every area of industry during his career. He joined IHG from Noble Investment Group; a leading lodging and hospitality investment organization, where he formerly served as managing principal and Chief Operating Officer. Bob has a Bachelor of Science degree in Hotel Management from the University of Massachusetts.
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About Caesars Entertainment: Caesars Entertainment operates casinos and hotels.
Mary Thomas
Executive Vice President, Human Resources of Caesars Entertainment
Mary Thomas is Executive Vice President of Human Resources for Caesars Entertainment Corporation. In that capacity, she develops and implements business plans and strategies for all companywide human resources functions, as well as day-to-day human resources operations. Prior to joining the company in 2006, Thomas served in a variety of leadership roles at Allied Domecq Spirits & Wines and during her 17 years with that company, Thomas held HR positions in Europe and Asia. Her most recent role was Senior Vice President of Human Resources – North America. Thomas holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Central England.
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About Caesars Entertainment: Caesars Entertainment operates casinos and hotels.
Luc Bondar
Vice President – Loyalty of United Airlines
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About United Airlines: United Airlines and United Express operate approximately 5,000 flights each day to more than 370 destinations throughout the world.
Michael Quiello
Vice President – Corporate Safety of United Airlines
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About United Airlines: United Airlines and United Express operate approximately 5,000 flights each day to more than 370 destinations throughout the world.
Linda Jojo
Executive Vice President, Technology & Chief Digital Officer of United Airlines
Linda Jojo joined Rogers as Executive Vice President, ITS and Chief Information Officer in July, 2011.Linda brings a wealth of experience leading complex IT organizations. Prior to joining Rogers, she was Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer for Energy Future Holdings Corporation in Dallas, TX. From 2004-2008, Linda was the SVP & CIO at Flowserve, and spent nearly 15 years at General Electric, including CIO, GE Silicones. Linda started her career at Digital Equipment Corporation. She and her teams have received industry recognition, including 21st Centurys Achievement Award in 2003 & 2010, CIO 100 awards for transformation and innovation in 2007, 2008 & 2010, and has been named to the InformationWeek 500 several times.Linda holds a bachelors degree in computer science and a masters degree in industrial engineering, both from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY.
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About United Airlines: United Airlines and United Express operate approximately 5,000 flights each day to more than 370 destinations throughout the world.
Calvin Siemer
Senior Vice President Global Human Resources & Labor of Las Vegas Sands
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About Las Vegas Sands: Las Vagas Sand Crop is a developer of mobile applications. They have been developing applications regarding Travel for providing
Randy Hyzak
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Las Vegas Sands
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About Las Vegas Sands: Las Vagas Sand Crop is a developer of mobile applications. They have been developing applications regarding Travel for providing
Andrew Abboud
Senior Vice President of Las Vegas Sands
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About Las Vegas Sands, The Venetian Resort Las Vegas | Las Vegas Sands Corp.: Las Vagas Sand Crop is a developer of mobile applications. They have been developing applications regarding Travel for providing
Robert Brewer
Senior Vice President, Chief Audit Executive of Las Vegas Sands
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About Las Vegas Sands: Las Vagas Sand Crop is a developer of mobile applications. They have been developing applications regarding Travel for providing
Daniel Briggs
Senior Vice President Investor Relations of Las Vegas Sands
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About Las Vegas Sands: Las Vagas Sand Crop is a developer of mobile applications. They have been developing applications regarding Travel for providing
Joseph Erickson
Senior Vice President Global Controller of Las Vegas Sands
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About Las Vegas Sands: Las Vagas Sand Crop is a developer of mobile applications. They have been developing applications regarding Travel for providing
Gayle Hyman
Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs of Las Vegas Sands
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About Las Vegas Sands: Las Vagas Sand Crop is a developer of mobile applications. They have been developing applications regarding Travel for providing
Chuck Ghoorah (Co-founder)
Co-Founder & President of Worldwide Sales & Marketing of Cvent
Chuck Ghoorah is the co-founder and President of Worldwide Sales and Marketing at Cvent. Chuck has been instrumental in Cvent’s growth from a two-person startup to an industry-leading global organization. Cvent has helped its more than 30,000 customers manage millions of events.
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About Cvent: Cvent delivers the most comprehensive event marketing & management platform, maximizing the impact of in-person, virtual, and hybrid events.
Bharet Malhotra
Senior Vice President of Sales of Cvent
As Senior Vice President of Sales at Cvent, Bharet drives the strategic direction and development for the Cvent Supplier Network, a leading eRFP channel that connects event planners with more than 200,000 venues throughout the world. Under Bharet’s leadership, in 2014 Cvent Supplier Network processed $8 billion in meeting and event RFP volume. Through Bharet’s leadership, Cvent established relationships with nearly all of the leading hotel chains around the world, including Accor, Hilton, Hyatt, Intercontinental Hotels Group, Marriott, Ritz Carlton and Starwood. Bharet and his team work closely with hotel executives to help enhance the properties’ exposure on the Cvent Supplier Network and capture more group business. Bharet earned a bachelor’s degree from Duke University, where he triple majored in Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Economics. While at Duke, Bharet competed against world-ranked players on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) tour. Following graduation, Bharet served on the Duke University Alumni Board of Directors and was President of the Engineering Alumni Association.
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About Cvent: Cvent delivers the most comprehensive event marketing & management platform, maximizing the impact of in-person, virtual, and hybrid events.
Brad Gillespie
Vice President of Enterprise Sales of Cvent
Brad currently leads Enterprise Solutions Consulting for Cvent, the leading provider of Meetings and Events SaaS software. A former CMO, Brad works with select Enterprise customers to modernize and transform event marketing programs with an emphasis on process, technology, integrations, and analytics. Cvent was acquired by Vista Equity Partners in 2016 in a take-private transaction and later merged with Lanyon to form the largest technology provider in category. Today Cvent has over 4,300 employees and over 28,000 customers around the world. Prior to Cvent Brad was Chief Marketing Officer for Octiv (acquired by Conga), a document automation platform for sales and legal documents. From 2012-2016 Brad was Global Vice President of Marketing (CMO) for SiriusDecisions (acquired by Forrester), the leading global research and advisory firm for b-to-b sales, marketing, and product organizations. Prior to joining SiriusDecisions, Brad was Vice President of Marketing for the global technology solutions firm, ROLTA (BSE:ROLTA.BO), where he led marketing for the Americas, Europe and MENA regions. He was also Vice President of Marketing for Zanett, a leading mid-market business and technology consulting firm (acquired by KPMG in June 2014). The majority of Brad’s career has focused on go-to-market. Following the Dot Com crash in 2002 Brad co-founded MFGA where he led marketing strategy engagements for organizations in Advanced Manufacturing, Biotech, Consumer Goods, Financial Services, Software and Professional Services. While at MFGA, Brad also co-founded two start-ups based on patented technologies and serves as President or PEARL Protected. PEARL was an award-winning fire safety device whose IP was acquired by the Werner Company in 2009. Brad’s career began in human resources at Columbia/HCA (now Hospital Corporation of America (NYSE:HCA) and at Paychex (NASDAQ:PAYX). During the Dot Com boom Brad transitioned to sales and marketing as employee #11 at Atlanta-based Newton Park which grew by 2000% over a four-year period. He also worked at digital pioneer Red Sky Interactive which was part of the Omnicon group of agencies. Brad grew up in central Kentucky and attended the University of Kentucky where he studied Political Science and Public Policy. About PEARL Protected While at MFGA, Brad co-founded two start-ups based on patented technologies and served as President of one of those companies, PEARL Protected, from 2005-2007. PEARL gained national exposure for its unique solution for fire safety. The PEARL product is a patented escape ladder that is installed permanently into an interior wall allowing egress through a window or other opening. Following its launch in 2005, the PEARL ladder became one of the most recognized home safety products in the market. PEARL appeared on several episodes of ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and was showcased on NBC’s Today Show and CBS’s The Early Show. In 2006 PEARL earned the Product Innovation Award from the Home Safety Council. Widely supported by fire safety professionals across the US, former California State Fire Marshall, James McMullen, referred to PEARL at the time as “the most innovative fire safety product since the advent of the residential smoke alarm”. The National Institute of Fire and Safety Training called PEARL a “must-have” in the home. The product was launched in 2005 primarily into the new home construction market at the height of the housing boom. PEARL quickly saw mass appeal in the channel and was recognized by Building Products magazine as one of the Top 100 Building Products for 2007. The housing decline in 2007-08 significantly impacted PEARL’s traction in the market. The product saw a brief resurgence in the college and university housing community following the mass shooting tragedy at Virginia Tech in 2007. In 2009 PEARL entered a licensing and distribution agreement with Werner Ladder Company, the world’s leading manufacturer and distributor of ladders, climbing equipment and ladder accessories.
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About Cvent: Cvent delivers the most comprehensive event marketing & management platform, maximizing the impact of in-person, virtual, and hybrid events.
Nitin Malhotra
Senior Vice President of Corporate Development of Cvent
Nitin drives strategic corporate initiatives across a broad range of Cvent’s businesses. In this role, he leads all acquisition initiatives, identifies new product opportunities, and serves as an advisor regarding 3rd party partnerships and integrations. Prior to Cvent, Nitin was a successful entrepreneur—having founded and sold three technology-based startups over a 20-year career. His expertise ranges from online gaming and telecommunications to non-profits and associations. Nitin graduated from the University of Virginia with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. He then went on to attend George Washington University for a Master’s degree in Computer Science with a focus on Human-Computer Interaction.
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About Cvent: Cvent delivers the most comprehensive event marketing & management platform, maximizing the impact of in-person, virtual, and hybrid events.
Ashley Baber
Vice President of Account Management of Cvent
Ashley Baber is the director of account management at [Cvent](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/cvent#/entity), an event management platform that enables planners to manage all aspects of an event. Prior to that, he was a senior manager for account management at the same company. Baber obtained her bachelor’s degree in psychology from James Madison University. She lives in Washington, District of Columbia, United States.
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About Cvent: Cvent delivers the most comprehensive event marketing & management platform, maximizing the impact of in-person, virtual, and hybrid events.
Lawrence Samuelson
Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary of Cvent
As a key member of Cvent’s senior management team and the company’s principal legal officer, Larry is responsible for overseeing Cvent’s legal affairs and providing leadership in all aspects of the business, including strategic corporate initiatives, board activities, compliance and corporate governance. Before joining Cvent, Larry was the Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at NeuStar, Inc., a leading provider of real-time information and analysis to the Internet, telecommunications, information services, financial services, retail, media and advertising sectors. In this position, he oversaw all legal aspects of the company’s transactional, corporate, governance, finance, executive compensation and securities issues. In addition, he was responsible for advising the human resource department on employment matters. Larry earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Tufts University. He then received his Master’s degree in International Affairs from Columbia University and his Juris Doctor degree from Boston University’s School of Law.
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About Cvent: Cvent delivers the most comprehensive event marketing & management platform, maximizing the impact of in-person, virtual, and hybrid events.
Alex Rolfe
Vice President of Sales, Event Solutions of Cvent
Alex Rolfe is the Vice President of Sales, at Cvent.
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About Cvent: Cvent delivers the most comprehensive event marketing & management platform, maximizing the impact of in-person, virtual, and hybrid events.
Michael Lu
Vice President of Product Development of Cvent
He is the Vice President of Product Development at Cvent. Before he joined Cvent, Michael provided technical consulting services to Intelsat, a global satellite services provider. Prior to Intelsat, Michael worked as a principal consultant at Price Waterhouse, later PricewaterhouseCoopers. At Price Waterhouse, Michael led teams that designed and developed workflow management and financial applications for the public sector. Michael holds an MS degree in Electrical Engineering and an MS in Computer Engineering from Syracuse University. He is a certified Microsoft professional and Java developer.
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About Cvent: Cvent delivers the most comprehensive event marketing & management platform, maximizing the impact of in-person, virtual, and hybrid events.
Daniel Lapus
Senior Vice President of Product Management of Cvent
Daniel Lapus has been with Cvent since November 1999 and has been instrumental in the design and delivery of Cvent’s product offering since the first beta release of the Event Management software. Today Dan is responsible for both the Product Management and Quality Assurance teams within Cvent’s technology department. He remains heavily involved in the overall success of Cvent’s current products offerings and spearheads the research and design efforts for new products and any enhancements to existing products. Prior to Cvent, Dan worked as a technical consultant in the telecommunications industry. Dan worked with MCI WorldCom as a quality assurance manager for their local telephone billing system. Dan led and organized test procedures, ensured accurate testing coverage, and collaborated with team members and other leaders to provide superior product delivery. Previous to this, Dan worked as a technical analyst for AT&T and was responsible for software programming, software testing, and product support. Dan holds a BBA in Computer Information Systems, with a concentration in Programming and Analysis, from James Madison University.
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About Cvent: Cvent delivers the most comprehensive event marketing & management platform, maximizing the impact of in-person, virtual, and hybrid events.
Brian Ludwig
Senior Vice President of Sales of Cvent
As SVP of Sales, he oversees Cvent’s worldwide sales of the flagship event management solutions division and the mobile app solutions division. To this end, Brian travels across the globe and is often called upon to speak at conferences regarding technology trends in the meetings industry. Brian works very closely with leadership across the organization to help shape strategy and direction in terms of product roadmap, client services, marketing initiatives, operational efficiencies, and acquisitions. Brian arrived at Cvent with a strong technology sales foundation. Brian worked as a Regional Sales Director for Lutron Electronics, an industry-leading lighting control systems manufacturer. Brian dramatically grew Lutron’s footprint in the southern part of the United States. Brian’s technical acumen landed him as a regular instructor of architects, engineers, and electrical contractors at Lutron’s training institute. Brian graduated with an MBA from University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith Business School, where he studied Entrepreneurship and Marketing. He graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BBA from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School.
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About Cvent: Cvent delivers the most comprehensive event marketing & management platform, maximizing the impact of in-person, virtual, and hybrid events.
Pete Floros
Senior Vice President, Product of Cvent
He is a Senior Vice President, Product at Cvent. Prior to Cvent, Pete worked at Artesia Technologies, a leader in enterprise Digital Asset Management solutions, where he focused on the implementation of Artesia’s flagship product for numerous large and medium-size enterprises. Pete’s clients included Sony Electronics, Home Box Office (HBO) and The Getty Museum in Los Angeles. Pete also worked at First Consulting Group, a leading provider of information-based consulting services, where he developed custom applications for large clients including Blue Cross/Blue Shield, the Eurasia Foundation and the United States Postal Service. Pete holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, with a concentration in Environmental Engineering from Virginia Tech.
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About Cvent: Cvent delivers the most comprehensive event marketing & management platform, maximizing the impact of in-person, virtual, and hybrid events.
Anil Punyapu
Vice President of Enterprise Sales of Cvent
Today, Cvent is the leading SMM solution in the marketplace, helping many of the world’s largest pharmaceutical, financial, technology and healthcare organizations centrally manage enterprise-wide meetings spend and streamline meetings processes. With his technology expertise combined with his deep knowledge of the meetings and events industry he continuously helps shape the development of the company’s SMM product. He also leads the division’s strategic marketing initiatives, sales processes and training programs. In addition, Anil oversees the management of Cvent’s relationships with industry-leading travel and meetings management companies across the globe and built the company’s partnership division, which currently includes Maritz Global Events, American Express Meetings & Incentives, Carlson Wagonlit Travel, BCD Meetings & Events, and HelmsBriscoe. Under his leadership, the partnership team has grown to manage 24 of the top 25 meetings management companies and 50 of the top 100 travel management companies in the U.S. Prior to his current role, he also built Cvent’s chapter sales division, which is focused on chapter-based associations, such as Meeting Professionals Internationals. Anil holds a bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University and a law degree – Juris Doctorate (J.D.) – from the University of Maryland School of Law, where he graduated with honors.
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About Cvent: Cvent delivers the most comprehensive event marketing & management platform, maximizing the impact of in-person, virtual, and hybrid events.
Erik Kahler
Senior Vice President, Corporate Development of TreeHouse Foods
Erik T. Kahler, age 50, is our Senior Vice President Corporate Development. Prior to joining TreeHouse, Mr. Kahler served as Managing Director of Dresdner Kleinwort Securities, LLC, a full service global investment bank for public and private companies, from May 2004 to October 2006. From November 1997 to July 2003, Mr. Kahler held senior investment banking leadership roles at Citigroup, Inc., as Director- Mergers and Acquisitions Citigroup Global Markets Holdings Inc. and at Wasserstein Perella & Company, Inc., where he was Vice President- Mergers and Acquisitions. Prior to joining Wasserstein Perella, Mr. Kahler worked for Ernst & Young and CIBC in various financial advisory roles. Mr. Kahler holds a B.A. from Colorado College and an M.B.A. from J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.
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About TreeHouse Foods: TreeHouse Foods rises above to provide quality food products primarily for the private label and foodservice industries.
Lori Roberts
Senior Vice President, Human Resources of TreeHouse Foods
Lori G. Roberts, age 55, joined TreeHouse in 2015 and is Senior Vice President of Human Resources responsible for compensation, benefits, recruiting, corporate communications, labor and employee relations supporting over 16,000 employees in the United States and Canada. Prior to joining TreeHouse, Ms. Roberts was with TMK IPSCO where she was the Vice President of Human Resources and Chief Human Resources Officer. She brings deep experience in Human Resources strategy having held positions with companies including Wallace Computer, The Claymore Group and Cummins Inc. where she supported their manufacturing operations for 13 years. Ms. Roberts earned her Bachelors and Masters degrees from Indiana University.
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About TreeHouse Foods: TreeHouse Foods rises above to provide quality food products primarily for the private label and foodservice industries.
Joe Fraiman
Co-Founder and President of Lyric
Joe is a Founder & President of Lyric. He is a professional nomad, adventure traveler, a certified BBQ judge, and interior design junkie. Over the last 15 years he’s lived in countless apartments across the country — and he obsessively designed each one. Along the way he hiked 1000 miles on the Appalachian Trail, crossed Asia on the Trans-Siberian Railway, and climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro. Joe has worked in construction in Alaska, developed top-secret defense software in San Diego, and raised money for the world’s largest hedge fund in Connecticut. He studied computer science and philosophy at Dartmouth College and NYU.
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About Lyric: Lyric is a tech and data-powered real estate and lifestyle hospitality company for the modern business traveler.
John Pauley
Executive Vice President of Retail Sales, Packaged Meats Division of Smithfield
John Pauley assumed his current role in 2015 after serving as executive vice president of retail sales for former independent operating company John Morrell Food Group. He joined the Smithfield organization in 2000 as President of Curlyʼs Foods, Saratoga Spice, and Iowa Quality Meats. Mr. Pauley has over 30 years of food industry experience.
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About John Morrell & Company, Smithfield: Smithfield Foods is determined to be an ethical food industry leader that excels every day at bringing delicious and nutritious meat
Stewart Leeth
Vice President of Regulatory Affairs & Chief Sustainability Officer of Smithfield
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About Smithfield: Smithfield Foods is determined to be an ethical food industry leader that excels every day at bringing delicious and nutritious meat
Craig Harlow
Vice President, Internal Audit of Smithfield
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About Smithfield: Smithfield Foods is determined to be an ethical food industry leader that excels every day at bringing delicious and nutritious meat
Timothy Dykstra
Vice President & Corporate Treasurer of Smithfield
Timothy Dykstra joined Smithfield Foods in 2010 as vice president and corporate treasurer. From 2000 through 2008, he served as vice president and treasurer of DaimlerChrysler NA. Prior to that, he held various finance positions at Chrysler LLC and was vice president and controller of Chrysler Financial Corporation.
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About Smithfield: Smithfield Foods is determined to be an ethical food industry leader that excels every day at bringing delicious and nutritious meat
Henry Morris
Senior Corporate Vice President, Operations and Engineering of Smithfield
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About Smithfield: Smithfield Foods is determined to be an ethical food industry leader that excels every day at bringing delicious and nutritious meat
Michael Cole
Vice President, Chief Legal Officer & Secretary of Smithfield
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About Smithfield: Smithfield Foods is determined to be an ethical food industry leader that excels every day at bringing delicious and nutritious meat
Parul Stevens
Vice President, Risk Management of Smithfield
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About Smithfield: Smithfield Foods is determined to be an ethical food industry leader that excels every day at bringing delicious and nutritious meat
Kevin Johnson
President & CEO of Starbucks Corporation
As president of the Platforms & Services Division of Microsoft, Kevin Johnson leads an organization of over 14,000 employees responsible for product development, marketing and strategy for the Windows and Online Services businesses. With Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer and seven other senior executives, Johnson also serves on the Senior Leadership Team that sets overall strategy and direction for Microsoft. Since assuming his role in September 2005, Johnson successfully launched Windows Vista to consumers and commercial customers, resulting in record-breaking Windows revenue of nearly US$15 billion in fiscal year 2007. In addition to leading the Windows business, Johnson is driving the company’s evolution towards software + services and building on the company’s position as a leader in the online advertising market. Under Johnson’s leadership, Microsoft has completed over 30 acquisitions in support of its software + services strategy. In August 2007, Johnson closed the company’s largest acquisition, of aQuantive, Inc., to form Microsoft Advertiser & Publisher Solutions, and complement Microsoft’s development of an industry-leading online advertising platform. Microsoft Advertiser & Publisher Solutions provides an online advertising platform for an ecosystem of industry partners, including advertisers, publishers and digital marketing agencies. Today the platform has offerings across digital media types and devices, including the PC, Web, mobile phones, gaming consoles, IPTV and Video-on-demand. Johnson also leads development and marketing of Microsoft’s consumer online services, including Live Search, MSN.com and Windows Live, which collectively drove nearly $2.5 billion in revenue in fiscal year 2007. These compelling experiences attract hundreds of millions of consumers per month, and provide online advertising opportunities to businesses worldwide. Previously, Johnson held a number of leadership positions in sales and marketing at Microsoft, where he worked globally with consumer, small/medium business and enterprise customers. Prior to his current role, Johnson served as group vice president of Microsoft’s worldwide sales, marketing and services, leading an organization of 30,000 employees, including field sales and marketing professionals who delivered $40 billion in revenue during fiscal 2005. Johnson also oversaw corporate operations and IT functions that support the work of Microsoft employees around the world. In his tenure as head of sales, marketing and services, Johnson led a transformation in the field. He organized subsidiary leadership teams in more than 80 countries and regions and orchestrated their efforts to better align with product development and company priorities. His re-engineering of the field operating approach and the sales compensation system contributed to an $11 billion increase in sales from 2002-2005. Johnson also led a cross-company initiative focused on emerging markets, positioning the company as a trusted partner for future growth. Johnson joined Microsoft in 1992, serving in a variety of roles across sales, marketing and services during his career at the company. Before joining Microsoft, Johnson worked in IBM’s systems integration and consulting business unit from 1986 to 1992. He started his career in 1981 as a software developer in the petroleum and financial services industries. Johnson grew up in New Mexico and holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from New Mexico State University. He is a founding member of the board of directors of NPower, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to help other nonprofits use technology to expand the reach and impact of their work. He is also a member of the Western Region Board of Advisors of Catalyst, a non-profit organization dedicated to women’s career advancement.
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About Starbucks Corporation: Starbucks is an international chain of restaurants that retails handcrafted coffee, tea, and fresh food items.
Gerri Martin Flickinger
Executive Vice President, Chief Technology Officer of Starbucks Corporation
As senior vice president and chief information officer, Gerri Martin-Flickinger oversees Adobe’s global Information Technology team, providing strategic direction and management for the company’s IT infrastructure worldwide, including its hosted services. In partnership with the business, Martin-Flickinger also has responsibility for developing innovative enterprise solutions built with Adobe products and technologies that solve business issues and reduce IT costs. Martin-Flickinger has more than 20 years of experience leading large-scale global IT organizations for companies experiencing explosive growth through acquisition, global expansion and/or implementing new business models. Her expertise includes leading organizations through transformational change, connecting IT to the needs of the business and aligning IT costs. Before joining Adobe, Martin-Flickinger was CIO of VeriSign, where she oversaw corporate information technology services for the company’s 60 offices worldwide. Prior to VeriSign, she served as CIO for Network Associates, Inc. and McAfee Associates, Inc. Before joining McAfee, Martin-Flickinger held several senior systems roles at Chevron Corporation, including serving as process consultant to Chevron’s executive staff. Martin-Flickinger holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Washington State University.
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About Starbucks Corporation: Starbucks is an international chain of restaurants that retails handcrafted coffee, tea, and fresh food items.
Joseph High
Senior Vice President & Chief People Officer of W.W. Grainger
Joseph High is Senior Vice President & Chief People Officer at W.W. Grainger.
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About W.W. Grainger: W.W. Grainger (NYSE: GWW), with 2008 sales of $6.9 billion, is the leading broad-line supplier of facilities maintenance products serving
José Andrés
President/Chef of Think Food Group
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About Beefsteak, Think Food Group: ThinkFoodGroup, LLC is company that provides catering services and publishes cookbooks.
Arik Benzino
President of Hello Alfred
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About Hello Alfred, Memeni: Alfred is the largest and most advanced residential management platform.
Gianfranco Verga
Co-Founder and President of SevenFifty
Gianfranco Verga is a co-founder and the Chief Operating Officer of SevenFifty. With extensive experience in multiple areas of the beverage industry, Verga is widely considered to be a leading expert in the field. As COO of SevenFifty, Verga oversees the company’s day-to-day operations, including the external client management of over 700 distributors and 30,000 buyers, as well as the internal management of SevenFifty’s sales and customer care teams. Prior to co-founding SevenFifty in 2012, Verga managed operations and development at Tippling Bros, a beverage consulting firm that curates spirits portfolios for buyers and distributors. Before joining Tippling Bros, Verga worked as the Beverage Director and General Manager of Louis 649, building one of the most established beverage programs in New York City. Prior to his time at Louis 649, Verga worked as a Marketing Associate at Domaine Select Wine Estates. Verga is B.A.R. Smarts certified by the Beverage Alcohol Resource and has been featured in numerous food and beverage publications.
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About SevenFifty: SevenFifty helps importers, producers, distributors, and retail buyers connect with each other and do business in a modern world.
Robert Dugas
Vice President of Supply Chain of Chick-fil-A
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About Chick-fil-A: Chick-fil-A is a fast food restaurant company that offers chicken sandwich and healthy foods for its customers.
Tammy Pearson
Vice President and Assistant General Counsel of Corporate Legal of Chick-fil-A
Tammy Pearson is Vice President and Assistant General Counsel of Corporate Legal @ Chick-fil-A.
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About Chick-fil-A: Chick-fil-A is a fast food restaurant company that offers chicken sandwich and healthy foods for its customers.
Rodney Bullard
Vice President of Community Affairs of Chick-fil-A
Rodney Bullard is Vice President of Community Affairs @ Chick-fil-A.
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About Chick-fil-A: Chick-fil-A is a fast food restaurant company that offers chicken sandwich and healthy foods for its customers.
William Faulk
Vice President of Innovation and Design of Chick-fil-A
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About Chick-fil-A: Chick-fil-A is a fast food restaurant company that offers chicken sandwich and healthy foods for its customers.
Carrie Kurlander
Vice President of Corporate Public Relations of Chick-fil-A
Carrie Kurlander is Vice President of Corporate Public Relations @ Chick-fil-A.
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About Chick-fil-A: Chick-fil-A is a fast food restaurant company that offers chicken sandwich and healthy foods for its customers.
Brent Ragsdale
Vice President of Chief Accounting Officer of Chick-fil-A
Brent Ragsdale is Vice President of Chief Accounting Officer @ Chick-fil-A.
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About Chick-fil-A: Chick-fil-A is a fast food restaurant company that offers chicken sandwich and healthy foods for its customers.
Clifford Robinson
Vice President of Field Operations of Chick-fil-A
Clifford Robinson is Vice President of Field Operations at Chick-fil-A.
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About Chick-fil-A: Chick-fil-A is a fast food restaurant company that offers chicken sandwich and healthy foods for its customers.
Dee Turner
Vice President, Corporate Talent of Chick-fil-A
Dee Turner is Vice President, Corporate Talent at Chick-fil-A.
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About Chick-fil-A: Chick-fil-A is a fast food restaurant company that offers chicken sandwich and healthy foods for its customers.
Vish Bhatia
Co-Founder & President of Hotelsoft
Vish has over 18 years of experience in revenue management and hospitality investments sectors. Prior to founding Hotelsoft Inc., Vish was the Vice President of Revenue Optimization at Aston Hotels & Resorts overseeing revenue management and distribution function for 29 hotels, resorts and condominium collection properties, with over 4,500 rooms in Hawaii and mainland USA. Previously, he held leadership positions in revenue management and distribution at Oberoi Hotels & Resorts, a 30 hotel luxury chain in Asia, Morgan’s Hotel Group, Miami and The Plaza Hotel, New York, a Fairmont managed hotel. He was also instrumental in raising a $585 million fund at Everstone Capital, a $1.7 billion private equity and real estate fund. Vish served on the Revenue Management Advisory Board of HSMAI and was a member of the Chief Revenue Officer roundtable from 2011-2013. Vish holds a Masters degree from Cornell-ESSEC university and enjoys painting and golf in his spare time.
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About Alpha Revenue Strategies, Hotelsoft, The New Amsterdam Group: Software solutions and services to independent and chain scale hotels.
Leslie Hale
President and Chief Executive Officer of RLJ Lodging Trust
Leslie Hale has served as Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Real Estate & Finance for RLJ Lodging Trust since 2007. Leslie Hale is responsible for all financial matters across RLJ. As CFO, she is intricately involved in the company’s investment decision-making, daily operations and long-term strategic planning. In addition to her CFO responsibilities, Hale oversees the execution of all asset and corporate level transactions.
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About RLJ Lodging Trust: RLJ Lodging Trust is a self-advised, publicly traded real estate investment trust focused on acquiring premium-branded.
Jessie Burgess
Executive Vice President & CIO of G6 Hospitality
Jessie Burgess is the Chief Information Officer of G6 Hospitality and has been a part of the executive team since January 2017. Jessie joined G6 Hospitality in 2001 after serving in the U.S. Armed Forces as a Communications and Computer Systems Officer. From the start of his career with G6 Hospitality, Jessie has led several initiatives that have placed the brand’s technological abilities at the forefront of the economy lodging segment, including the architecture and transition of key enterprise workloads to cloud-native technology. In his current role, Jessie continues to focus on the brand’s ongoing growth as an agile, cloud-based technology environment, as well as the retirement of technical debt and restructuring legacy operational support models. Jessie also leads the newly-formed, enterprise strategy and insights function for G6 and he continues to champion the brand’s military initiative, Operation Next Step. Jessie is a member of theManagement Committee of the KII Telecommunications consortium and serves on technology advisory boards for both the Jindal School of Management at the University of Texas at Dallas and the Neely School of Business at Texas Christian University. Jessie earned his master’s degree in business administration from the University of Texas at Dallas and a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Grambling State University.
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About G6 Hospitality: On mission is to build on the iconic heritage of their brands
Jim Amorosia
President & CEO of G6 Hospitality
Jim Amorosia is President, Chief Executive Officer of G6 Hospitality LLC, the parent company of the iconic brands Motel 6, Studio 6, Hotel 6, and Estudio 6, and oversees all strategic direction of these brands for the organization. Amorosia has more than 30 years of hotel operations experience and is recognized as one of the key leaders in the economy segment. He joined Motel 6 in 1985 and has held management positions in various disciplines within the company. Amorosia assumed the role of President and Chief Operations Officer for Motel 6 and Studio 6 in 2007, which he held until his promotion in 2011 to President, Chief Executive Officer of Motel 6 and Studio 6. He has been featured in major industry publications for his segment expertise and industry perspective. Under his leadership, the Motel 6 and Studio 6 brands continue to grow and expand across North America and Latin America. In 2015, Amorosia joined the AH&LA Board of Directors. A two-term commissioner with the California Board of Travel and Tourism, and a past director of the Bay Area Urban League, Amorosia holds a Bachelor’s degree from the Crane School of Music and a Master of Business Administration degree from Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona.
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About G6 Hospitality: On mission is to build on the iconic heritage of their brands
Andy Mills
President of Medline Industries
Andy started with Medline as a sales representative in Dallas, Texas. He then worked in Medline’s O.R. product division and went on to manage the company’s marketing department before assuming his current position in 1997. Prior to working for Medline, Andy worked in brand management for Procter and Gamble. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Tulane University and earned his MBA from the J.L. Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
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About Medline Industries: Medline Industries, Inc., based in Mundelein, Illinois,
President/CEO of Stonebridge Companies
Navin Dimond is the founder of Stonebridge Companies. He serves as President and Chief Executive Officer, overseeing the company’s development, operations and investment functions. Stonebridge Companies has experienced substantial, positive growth. Mr. Dimond is the recipient of the Award of Excellence from the American Asian Hotel Owners Association, the Hotelier of the Year Award from the Colorado Hotel and Lodging Association and the prestigious Hilton Hotels Multi-brand Developer of the Year Award. In 2013 Stonebridge Companies received the coveted Marriott Partnership Circle Award, granted to Franchisees for their excellence and commitment to growth as well as dedication to their associates and guests. As a result of his expertise and proven track record, Mr. Dimond serves in an advisory role for a wide variety of organizations. Currently, Navin serves on the Franchise Advisory Council for Hampton Inn Hotels by Hilton and Marriott’s Residence Inn Advisory Board (TRIA Board). Navin has been involved with the Colorado Hotel and Lodging Association (CH&LA) for many years, serving as Chairman in 2003. In 2008 Navin was inducted into the CH&LA Hall of Fame. Mr. Dimond serves on the Washington State University College of Engineering and Architecture Executive Leadership Board, Cornell University’s Dean’s Advisory Board for the School of Hotel Administration and the Daniels College of Business Executive Advisory Board at the University of Denver. Involvement in the local community is important to Mr. Dimond. Currently he serves on the Board of Trustees for the University of Denver, the Denver Kent School and the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. In addition, Navin serves on the Foundation Board of the Metropolitan State College of Denver and is a Board Member of the Denver Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau (VISIT DENVER). Mr. Dimond is a graduate of Washington State University where he earned his B.A. in Business Administration and his B.S. in Construction Management. He earned his MBA in Real Estate and Construction Management from the University of Denver.
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About Stonebridge Companies: Stonebridge Companies has grown to be recognized as one of the nation’s leading development and hospitality management companies.
Joseph Essas
President and Chief Technology Officer of OpenTable
President and Chief Technology Officer at OpenTable.
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About FirstMark, OpenTable: OpenTable operates as an online restaurant booking service.
Myra Norton
President & CEO of Arena Analytics
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About Arena Analytics: Arena Analytics applies predictive analytics and machine learning to talent acquisition challenges.
Ben Sardella
Vice President of Sales of AvantStay
Ben Sardella is the Vice President of Sales at AvantStay and previously was the Co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer of both Datanyze (acquired by ZoomInfo in 2018) & OutboundWorks (acquired by ConnectLeader in 2019). Ben started his career at NetSuite (IPO 2007), where he pioneered the SaaS sales process as the first sales rep. Ben has been a Founder, Investor, and Advisor for a number of successful startups leading to over 10 successful exits. Ben grew up in Dorchester and is a die-hard Boston sports fan and has an International Business Degree from Boston University as well as an MBA.
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About AvantStay, NextGen Venture Partners: AvantStay is a technology-first hospitality brand for experiential group travel.
Robert Vitale
President & CEO of Post Holdings
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About Post Holdings: Post Holdings, Inc. is a consumer goods company currently operating in the center-of-the-store, active nutrition and private label food
Jeff Zadoks
Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer of Post Holdings
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About Post Holdings: Post Holdings, Inc. is a consumer goods company currently operating in the center-of-the-store, active nutrition and private label food
Diedre Gray
Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Administration, Corporate Secretary of Post Holdings
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About Post Holdings: Post Holdings, Inc. is a consumer goods company currently operating in the center-of-the-store, active nutrition and private label food
Briscoe Rodgers
Co-Founder & President of ezCater
Briscoe is a 5x entrepreneur. He founded, built, and successfully sold two software firms, Azuris Software and Lumis Studios. Briscoe co-founded Buzzpad to create real-time collaboration tools for corporate settings. In 2004, he founded PreferredTime, where he shifted his focus to collaboration between healthcare and pharma. ezCater is an off-shoot of that. Briscoe studied business and computer science at Carnegie Mellon University. And, yes, along the way, he earned a few credits in IMDb.
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About ezCater: EzCater is an online catering marketplace that allows individuals to order food from local caterers.
Garrett Lang
Founder and President of PlateRate
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About PlateRate: We help people find better food than anyone else!
Brian Dass
Executive Vice President of SwitchForce
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About BookingForce, Rezglo, SwitchForce, Totality Platform, Wayaj, Wonder International Inc.: SwitchForce™ aims at becoming the world’s leading processor of transportation-related bookings by re-developing and operating an .
Sergio Rivera
President of Starwood Hotels & Resorts
Mr. Sergio D. Rivera, also known as Serge, has been the President of The Americas for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. since 2012 with responsibility for the performance and growth of all of Starwood’s brands and businesses operating in North America, the Caribbean, South & Central America and Polynesia. Mr. Rivera additionally serves as the Chief Executive Officer and President of Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, a position he has held since 2007. Other positions previously held at Starwood Hotels & Resorts include President of Global Real Estate (2006-2007) and President of SVO from 2002. He has over 25 years of experience in real estate development and finance, operations, consumer marketing and sales, and brand development. Mr. Rivera is a member of the Board of Directors and Trustee of the American Resort Development Association (“ARDA”), a member of the Urban Land Institute, and Trustee of The Nature Conservancy Florida Chapter. Additionally, he serves as a member of the University of Central Florida Rosen College of Hospitality Management Advisory Board, a member of the Florida International University Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management Dean’s Advisory Council, a member of the CEO Roundtable of the U.S. Travel Association, and serves on the Board of Directors of Welltower Inc. (“HCN”) a publicly traded REIT in the international senior living and medical office space. Mr. Rivera is a graduate of Florida International University with a Bachelor degree in Finance and a Masters of Business Administration degree.
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About Starwood Hotels & Resorts: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is the most global high-end hotel company in the world.
Simon Turner
President, Global Development of Starwood Hotels & Resorts
Simon Turner is responsible for the company’s global development activities including hotel and resort development, property acquisitions and dispositions, franchise and management pipeline expansion and real estate investment management. Prior to joining Starwood in 2008, Turner spent more than ten years as a Principal of Hotel Capital Advisers, Inc., a hotel investment advisory and asset management firm, overseeing both hotel brand and property investments. He led a number of high-profile hotel projects including the acquisition, financing and repositioning of the Hotel George V in Paris and the Copley Plaza Hotel in Boston. Turner served on the board of directors of Four Seasons Hotels, Inc. for almost ten years, serving as a member of the Human Resources Committee and the Audit Committee. Turner was also a member of the board of Fairmont Raffles Hotels International and was chairman of the Audit Committee. Before joining Hotel Capital Advisers, Turner was a member of the Investment Banking Department of Salomon Brothers. Based in both New York and London, he was responsible for the structuring and execution of a broad range of hotel sector strategic and financial advisory and capital-raising assignments. Before joining Salomon Brothers in 1987, Turner was a Manager in the Washington, D.C. office of Pannell Kerr Forster, an international hotel and tourism consulting firm. Turner previously worked in Saudi Arabia for Gustar Hoteliers, a Swiss-based hotel management and marketing company. Prior to this, he worked for Sheraton in the United States. Turner is a Trustee of the Urban Land Institute, is a member of ULI’s Greenprint Center for Building Performance Advisory Board and was previously Vice Chairman of ULI’s hotel council. He also previously served as a member of the Governmental Affairs Committee of the American Hotel & Lodging Association and is a member of the Real Estate Roundtable. Turner received a Bachelor of Science in Hotel Administration from Cornell University. An active alumnus, he serves as an elected member of the Cornell Hotel Society Foundation, an appointed member of the Dean’s Advisory Council and the Cornell University Council. He previously served on the board of the Cornell Club of New York and as Chairman of the Committee on Alumni Trustee Nominations.
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About Starwood Hotels & Resorts: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is the most global high-end hotel company in the world.
