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 VP’ operating in the Hospitality space. If you think a VP’ 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.
Joyce Bromberg
VP of Strategy and Research of Convene
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About Convene, Convene: Convene designs and services premium places to work, meet, and host events.
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.
Ricardo Arias-Nath
SVP / Business Strategy and Transformation. Chief of Staff. of PepsiCo
Ricardo is the SVP Business Strategy and Transformation and Chief of Staff for PepsiCo Latin America. Prior to his current role, he held positions in General Management, Strategy, Marketing, Business Development and M&A for the Company. Prior to PepsiCo he served as CEO and Co-Founder of Tokenzone – a pioneer in NFTs, virtual property and loyalty programs. He has held general management and consulting roles at The Procter & Gamble Company, Zyman Group and Prophet Brand Strategy.
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About PepsiCo: PepsiCo operates as a food and beverage company worldwide.
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.
John Phillips
SVP Customer Supply Chain & Go-To-Market of PepsiCo
John is Senior Vice President, Customer Supply Chain and Go-to-Market for PepsiCo, Inc. He has been with PepsiCo for over 30 years and has worked in a number of different sales and field operations roles since joining the company as a route salesperson with Frito-Lay. Prior to his current role, John was Vice President of Customer Delivery Systems for Frito-Lay North America where he led the development and implementation of new DSD delivery systems and the development of the next generation of frontline handheld computers for the DSD sales force. In his current role, John is responsible for working with PepsiCo’s largest customers on supply chain and collaboration initiatives to drive both effectiveness and efficiency across the shared supply chains. His team also leads PepsiCo’s internal network strategy design. John is a member of the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) Smart Label, Industry Affairs, and Logistics Committees. He is active in The Consumer Goods Forum as a member of the E2E Value Chain Committee and the Supply Chain & Digital share groups. John is a member of the Consumer Goods Technology (CGT) Executive Board, He is also a member of the GS1 Data Excellence Board and the Western Michigan University Food & CPG Marketing Advisory Board. Before joining PepsiCo, John spent ten years in retail store operations with Jewel Food Stores in Chicago and was also a Territory Sales Representative for Procter & Gamble. John attended Western Michigan University where he received a Bachelor of Science in Food Distribution and also holds an MBA from Southern Methodist University.
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About PepsiCo: PepsiCo operates as a food and beverage company worldwide.
Mark Risis
VP Strategy & Global Data Ecosystem of PepsiCo
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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.
Christine Daugherty
VP Global Sustainable Agriculture & Responsible Sourcing of PepsiCo
Christine Daugherty, VP Sustainable Agriculture; drives PepsiCo’s short-term approach and long-term strategic direction for their sustainable agriculture agenda, including delivery against relevant PepsiCo Performance with Purpose 2025 goals. She is focused on external relationships, managing research and internally aligning execution across various departments including R&D, Global Procurement, and Operations. Prior to PepsiCo, Christine worked at Tyson Foods, where she held various roles, most recently Vice President of Sustainable Food Production. Her responsibilities included natural resource conservation programs, responsible sourcing and farm animal well-being, as well as leading the company’s sustainability programs across multiple platforms. Christine holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Arkansas School of Law, a Post-doctoral in Plant Gene Regulation from the University of Florida, a Ph.D. in Plant Physiology from Louisiana State University, as well as an MS degree in Plant Pathology from Iowa State University.
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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.
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.
Heidi Capozzi
EVP and Global Chief People Officer of McDonald’s
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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.
Bob Rupczynski
SVP, Marketing Technology of McDonald’s
Bob Rupczynski is global vice president of media and customer relationship management at McDonald’s. He has deep experience developing industry-leading capabilities which enable data-driven, real-time precision marketing. Prior to McDonald’s Bob was at Kraft-Heinz and Mondelez.
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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.
Howard Dubinett
EVP & COO of Bio-Reference Laboratories
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About Bio-Reference Laboratories: BioReference is the third largest full service clinical diagnostic laboratory in the U.S. providing testing .
Rafael Blanes
VP of Sales of Cloudbeds
Rafael Blanes serves as the VP of sales at Cloudbeds.Specialties: Hospitality Internet Marketing, Revenue Management, Web Development, Hotel Operations and Management, Hotel Sales.
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About Cloudbeds: Cloudbeds is a vertical SaaS business that creates cloud-based hospitality management software.
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.
Daniel Murphy
Corporate VP Meat & Seafood & SVP West Region Merchandising of Supervalu
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About Supervalu, UNFI: 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.
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.
Katie Fallon
EVP Global Head of Corporate Affairs of Hilton Worldwide
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About Hilton Worldwide, McDonald’s: Hilton Worldwide is a hospitality company, owns luxury and full-service hotels and resorts, and focused-service hotels.
Timothy Donovan
EVP, General Counsel and Chief Regulatory & Compliance Officer of Caesars Entertainment
Tim Donovan became our Executive Vice President in November 2011, General Counsel in April 2009 and our Chief Regulatory and Compliance Officer in January 2011. He served as Senior Vice President from April 2009 to November 2011. Prior to joining Caesars Entertainment (then Harrah’s Entertainment), Donovan served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Republic Services, Inc. from December 2008 to March 2009 after a merger with Allied Waste Industries, Inc., where he served in the same capacities from April 2007 to December 2008. He earlier served as Executive Vice President-Strategy & Business Development and General Counsel of Tenneco, Inc. from July 1999 to March 2007. Donovan was a partner in the Chicago-based law firm of Jenner & Block from 1989 to September 1999. While there, he served as a member of the firm’s executive committee and as the chairman of its Corporate and Securities Department. Donovan also is currently a director of John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc. This publicly traded company is a leading nut and snack food processor based in Elgin, Illinois. Donovan is the chairman of its Compensation Committee and a member of the Audit and Governance Committees.
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About Caesars Entertainment, Clark Hill: 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.
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
Norbert Riezler
SVP, Chief Procurement & Sustainability 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
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
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.
David Johnson
SVP, Engineering of Cvent
With more than 20 years of experience delivering software products to millions of customers, David Johnson specializes in fostering organizational growth and ensuring optimal utilization of engineering resources. He is currently vice president of product development at Cvent and is responsible for leading the research & development division, overseeing the company’s technology and process innovation, while ensuring optimal utilization of engineering. Most recently, David was the chief technology officer at Zynga’s east coast office and game studio. In this position, he oversaw the development of massively scalable, cloud-based software architectures. Prior to Zynga, David was vice president of content integration and ecommerce at Entourage Systems, Inc. He was responsible for engineering the mobile communication platform and digital ecosystem for the Google Android-based enTourageeDGe™ and Pocket eDGe™ tablets and e-readers. These products were sold at major retailers across the country, including Amazon, Best Buy and Wal-Mart. Before his work at Entourage Systems, Inc. David was vice president of engineering at CyberData Technologies, Inc. He was responsible for leading the engineering and quality assurance departments through a period of rapid corporate growth and success. Throughout David’s career, he has obtained in-depth knowledge of complex technology development within a diverse range of industries including hospitality, eCommerce, gaming, and mobile. David earned a Bachelor’s degree in economics from Stanford University in 1992.
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About Cvent, 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.
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
Joseph Weber
Senior VP Fresh Pork 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
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
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.
Erwin Reid
SVP of International Restaurant Development 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.
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.
Jonathan Bridges
SVP – Chief Marketing Officer 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.
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.
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
Matt McDonagh
VP, Commercial Partnerships of Sofar Sounds
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About Sofar Sounds: Sofar Sounds is a global community hosting curated, secret performances in more than 400 cities around the world.
Owein Reese
VP of Engineering 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.
Jesse Suarez
VP Legal of AvantStay
Jesse Suarez is the VP Legal of AvantStay.
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About AvantStay: AvantStay is a technology-first hospitality brand for experiential group travel.
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
Carly Stockdale
VP Commercial Operations of Prelude Fertility
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About Prelude Fertility: Prelude Fertility is a network of top-tier fertility clinics offering comprehensive fertility care.
Alex Saltzman
VP Business Development of Prelude Fertility
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About Prelude Fertility: Prelude Fertility is a network of top-tier fertility clinics offering comprehensive fertility care.
Jeff Dwyer
VP Product Engineering of ezCater
Jeff Dwyer is a software engineer who lives at the intersection of marketing and product. Previously at PatientsLikeMe and HubSpot, Jeff is now at ezCater helping connect people who need catering with absolutely delicious tacos. His focus is on experimentation, growth, AB testing and analytics. He lives in Somerville, MA.
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About ezCater: EzCater is an online catering marketplace that allows individuals to order food from local caterers.
Michelle Smart
VP Partner Operations of ezCater
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About ezCater: EzCater is an online catering marketplace that allows individuals to order food from local caterers.
Jeff Hong
Co-Founder, VP Partnerships & Strategic Initiatives of Bite
Jeff Hong is the Co-Founder, VP Partnerships & Strategic Initiatives at Bite .
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About Bite: The most powerful software for guest experience in restaurants.
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 .
Phil McAveety
EVP, Chief Brand Officer of Starwood Hotels & Resorts
Phil McAveety is Executive Vice President and Chief Brand Officer of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world. McAveety joined the company in 2008 and is responsible for all aspects of marketing and brand performance worldwide for Starwood and its nine renowned brands including Le Meridien, Westin, Sheraton, W, St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, Four Points by Sheraton, Aloft and Element. He also oversees the company’s loyalty program, Starwood Preferred Guest; Public Relations; Market Research; Creative Services; Interactive Marketing and Partnership Marketing. McAveety has more than 20 years of experience in brand development, brand communications, marketing and advertising from a number of international brand-led companies and most recently served as Global Brand Director for Camper International in Mallorca, Spain where he developed the company’s overall strategic business and brand growth plan. Prior to joining Camper International, McAveety spent nine years with Nike Inc. in several positions, including Vice President of Marketing for Nike Europe, Middle East and Asia (EMEA) where he managed all marketing functions across the region. Before joining Nike in 1997, McAveety spent nine years with Leo Burnett International in a variety of roles, providing integrated communications services for numerous world-renowned brands, including Procter and Gamble, BMW, Four Seasons International Hotels and United Airlines. McAveety has lived and worked in the UK, Portugal, Hong Kong; The US (Portland, Oregon and New York), The Netherlands and Spain. McAveety earned an AMP from Harvard Business School and a BA in Economic History from Exeter University. He is based in Starwood’s global headquarters in Stamford, CT and resides in Manhattan.
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About Starwood Hotels & Resorts: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is the most global high-end hotel company in the world.
Jeff Cava
EVP, Chief Human Resources Officer of Starwood Hotels & Resorts
In May 2008, Jeff M. Cava was named EVP Chief Human Resources Officer of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with more than 1,200 properties in 100 countries and 181,400 employees. Mr. Cava brings to Starwood more than 30 years of experience with major hospitality companies and consumer-focused, global lifestyle brands. At Starwood, he will oversee global human resources and associate communications across all brands including St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, W Hotels, Westin, Sheraton, Four Points by Sheraton, Le Méridien, aloft and Element, as well as Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc. Prior to joining Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Jeff held executive human resource positions with several major corporations. He was EVP and CHRO for Wendy’s Intl Inc., where he successfully implemented the industry’s first consumer driven health strategy. Prior to joining Wendy’s in 2003 Mr. Cava was Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer for Nike Inc.; Vice President Human Resources, The Walt Disney Company, Consumer Products Group; and, Vice President of Global Staffing, Training and Development for ITT Sheraton Corporation. Jeff received both his Masters of Science degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology and Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and from San Diego State University.
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About Starwood Hotels & Resorts: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is the most global high-end hotel company in the world.
Christie Hicks
SVP, Starwood Sales Organization of Starwood Hotels & Resorts
Christie Hicks is Senior Vice President, Starwood Sales Organization for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. In this role, Ms. Hicks sets Starwood’s business-to-business sales strategy and leads the company’s sales organization. She is a member of Starwood’s Senior Leadership Team. Since joining Starwood in 1999, Ms. Hicks has led the sales organization through a period of rapid growth. Ms. Hicks has been responsible for evolving Starwood’s sales team and strategy to align with the company’s transformation from a U.S. company into a global business. Ms. Hicks is a high energy leader who has built Starwood’s sales culture around strategic customer management. Her ability to balance business needs with customer needs has shaped how Starwood develops solutions across the B2B segment. Ms. Hicks spearheaded Starwood’s Meeting Innovation project which launched Starwood’s public telepresence suites and resulted in the new meeting chair design. She also heads up a number of key strategic work streams critical to Starwood’s overall business strategy. With over 20 years experience, Ms. Hicks actively participates in industry affairs. She is the former Chairman of the Professional Convention Management Association Foundation (PCMA) Board of Trustees and served on the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) Board of Directors. For her contribution to the industry Ms. Hicks was recognized with the 2005 PCMA Professional Achievement Award and the NYSAE 2006 Vision Award. In addition, she was named one of the 25 Most Influential Women in the Travel Industry by Forbes Magazine and named one of the top 25 People in the Hospitality Industry by Meetings and Conventions Magazine. Prior to joining Starwood, Ms Hicks was Vice President, National Sales for Hyatt Hotels. Ms. Hicks graduated from Tulane University in 1981 with a Bachelor of Science 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.
John Peyton
SVP, Global Initiatives of Starwood Hotels & Resorts
Mr. Peyton is Senior Vice President of Global Initiatives. In this role, he drives the implementation of key strategic priorities across the globe, including Supply Chain, Revenue Management, and Food and Beverage initiatives. Previously, Mr. Peyton was Senior Vice President of Operations for Starwood North America, leading hotel operations for all brands and centralized functions. Prior to April 2008, Mr. Peyton spent four years in Starwood’s Brand and Marketing division, where he led the Starwood Preferred Guest loyalty program, Partnership Marketing, and CRM as well as global brand teams. In 2001, he led Starwood in its launch of Six Sigma, becoming the first company in the hospitality industry to adopt Six Sigma as a way to improve business processes and drive innovative change. Mr. Peyton joined Starwood after a ten year career with PricewaterhouseCoopers in both their Accounting and Consulting practices. Mr. Peyton holds an MBA in Accounting and Marketing from New York University and a Bachelors degree in English from the University of Pennsylvania.
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About Starwood Hotels & Resorts: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is the most global high-end hotel company in the world.
