J.W. Marriott, Jr. is Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board of Marriott International, Inc., one of the world's largest lodging companies. He was Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board for 40 years, before stepping down on March 31, 2012. His leadership spans nearly 60 years, and he has taken Marriott from a family restaurant business to a leading global lodging company with more than 3,700 properties in 74 countries and territories.
Known throughout the industry for his hands-on management style, Mr. Marriott has built a highly regarded culture that emphasizes the importance of Marriott’s people and recognizes the value they bring to the organization. Today, there are approximately 300,000 employees at the company’s headquarters and other offices, and at managed and franchised property locations.
Marriott International is also well known as a great place to work and for its commitment to diversity, social responsibility and community engagement. It has consistently been named to Fortune's lists of most admired companies, best places to work and top companies for minorities.
At an early age, Mr. Marriott developed a passion for the business and worked in a variety of positions in the Hot Shoppes restaurant chain during his high school and college years. He joined the company full time in 1956 and soon afterward, took over management of Marriott’s first hotel. Mr. Marriott became executive vice president of the company, then its president, in 1964. He was elected chief executive officer in 1972 and chairman of the board in 1985.
Regarded as a lodging innovator, Mr. Marriott began shifting the company’s business model in the late 1970s from hotel ownership to property management and franchising. His strategic decision allowed the company to accelerate its growth and broaden its leadership position. That transformation culminated in the company’s split in 1993 into Marriott International, a hotel management and franchising company, headed by Mr. Marriott, and Host Marriott International, a hotel ownership company chaired by his brother, Richard Marriott.
Mr. Marriott has also worked to compile the greatest portfolio of lodging brands, ranging from limited service to luxury hotels and resorts. The company operates and franchises hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts under 18 brands, including Marriott Hotels & Resorts, The Ritz-Carlton, JW Marriott, Bulgari, EDITION, Renaissance, Gaylord Hotels, Autograph Collection, AC Hotels by Marriott, Courtyard, Fairfield Inn & Suites, SpringHill Suites, Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites, Marriott Executive Apartments, Marriott Vacation Club, Grand Residences by Marriott, and The Ritz-Carlton Destination Club.
Mr. Marriott serves on the board of The J. Willard & Alice S. Marriott Foundation. He is a member of the National Business Council and the Executive Committee of the World Travel & Tourism Council. Mr. Marriott has served on the Board of Trustees of the National Geographic Society, as director of the United States Naval Academy Foundation, chairman of the President’s Export Council (PEC) and a member of the Secure Borders Open Doors Advisory Committee (SBODAC) and the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board (TTAB). He also recently served as chairman of the Mayo Clinic Capital Campaign.
Mr. Marriott attended St. Albans School in Washington, D.C., earned a B.S. degree in banking and finance from the University of Utah and served as an officer in the United States Navy. He is an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter‑day Saints. He is married to the former Donna Garff. They have four children, 15 grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.
Arne M. Sorenson †
President and Chief Executive Officer
Arne M. Sorenson is President and Chief Executive Officer of Marriott International, Inc., a leading global lodging company with more than 3,700 lodging properties in 74 countries and territories and reported revenues of over $12 billion in fiscal year 2011.
Marriott International operates and franchises hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts under 18 brands, including Marriott Hotels & Resorts, The Ritz-Carlton, JW Marriott, Bulgari, EDITION, Renaissance, Gaylord Hotels, Autograph Collection, AC Hotels by Marriott, Courtyard, Fairfield Inn & Suites, SpringHill Suites, Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites, Marriott Executive Apartments and Marriott Vacation Club.
Previously, Mr. Sorenson was Marriott’s president and chief operating officer. Earlier, he served as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and President of Continental European Lodging, with responsibility for lodging operations and development in the continental European region, as well as the company’s overall financial functions.
Prior to joining Marriott in 1996, Mr. Sorenson was a partner with the law firm Latham & Watkins in Washington, D.C., where he specialized in mergers and acquisitions litigation.
Mr. Sorenson is chairman of Marriott’s Global Diversity and Inclusion Council, which complements the efforts of the Marriott Board of Directors’ Committee for Excellence to monitor and evaluate the progress of our company’s strategy to promote an increasingly diverse workforce, as well as ownership, customer and vendor communities around the world. Mr. Sorenson also serves on the Committee for Excellence. He co-founded Marriott’s Global Sustainability Council in 2007, and in 2008, he launched Marriott’s rainforest preservation partnership with the Amazonas Sustainable Foundation in Brazil. Mr. Sorenson was elected to Marriott International’s board of directors in 2011. He also serves on the boards of directors of Wal‑Mart Stores, Inc., the Corporation for Travel Promotion and Luther College.
Mr. Sorenson is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School and of Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. He resides in Chevy Chase, Maryland, with his wife, Ruth. They have four children.
Robert J. McCarthy †
Chief Operations Officer
Robert J. "Bob" McCarthy is Chief Operations Officer for Marriott International, Inc., with responsibility for Global Lodging Services and The Ritz-Carlton. In addition, Mr. McCarthy shares reporting responsibilities for the presidents of Marriott's four continental operating divisions with President and Chief Executive Officer Arne Sorenson.
In his previous role as Group President, Mr. McCarthy was responsible for the financial management and leadership of over 3,600 hotels in The Americas spanning multiple lodging brands, and a workforce of 120,000 associates. In addition, Mr. McCarthy oversaw The Ritz-Carlton brand, as well as global lodging support services to Marriott's continental organizations in sales, revenue management, marketing, brand management, operations, architecture and construction, and information resources.
Mr. McCarthy serves as a member of Marriott's Corporate Growth Committee, as well as the Committee for Excellence, chartered by Marriott's board of directors to set and monitor meaningful diversity and inclusion objectives at every level of the company. Mr. McCarthy is a member of the Dean's Advisory Board at both the Villanova University School of Business and the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration. He serves as a board member of the Autism Learning Center and the ServiceSource Foundation, an organization that supports people with disabilities.
Mr. McCarthy holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Villanova University in Villanova, Pennsylvania.
Carl T. Berquist †
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Carl Berquist is Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Marriott International, Inc., with responsibility for global finance, including financial reporting, project finance, global treasury, corporate tax, internal audit, and investor relations. His previous role was Executive Vice President of Financial Information and Enterprise Risk Management.
Prior to joining Marriott in December 2002, Mr. Berquist was a partner at Arthur Andersen LLP. During his 28-year career with Arthur Andersen, Mr. Berquist held numerous leadership positions covering the management of the business as well as market facing operational roles, including managing partner of the worldwide real estate and hospitality practice.
Mr. Berquist holds a B.S. in accounting from Penn State University and is a member of Penn State's Smeal Business School's Board of Visitors. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Hertz Global Holdings, Inc.
Anthony G. Capuano †
Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer
Anthony Capuano is executive vice president, of lodging development for the Americas for Marriott International, Inc. He is responsible for the development of Marriott, JW Marriott, Renaissance, Bulgari, The Ritz-Carlton, Edition, and Nickelodeon by Marriott hotel brands throughout North America. In addition, Mr. Capuano is responsible for the development of Marriott's Mixed-Use projects in North America and the development of Marriott's lodging brands in the Caribbean and Latin America.
Mr. Capuano began his Marriott career in 1995 as a part of the market planning and feasibility team. Between 1997 and 2005, he led Marriott's full service development efforts in the western United States and Canada.
Prior to joining Marriott, Mr. Capuano worked for Laventhol and Horwath's leisure time advisory group in Boston, Mass. He then joined Kenneth Leventhal and Company's hospitality consulting group in Los Angeles, Calif.
Mr. Capuano holds a bachelor's degree in Hotel Administration from Cornell University. He is an active member of Cornell Society of Hotelmen.
Simon F. Cooper †
President and Managing Director Asia Pacific
Simon F. Cooper is President and Managing Director, Asia Pacific for Marriott International. He oversees the operations, development and strategic positioning of the world's most powerful brands and luxury groups in Asia Pacific.
Mr. Cooper was the President and Chief Operating Officer of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company LLC from February 2001 to September 2010. Prior to that he had a distinguished career with Marriott International, where he served three years as President of Marriott Lodging Canada.
Born in England, but a citizen of Canada, his first hospitality job was with Canadian Pacific Hotels & Resorts. Among his many professional honors, Mr. Cooper has served on the Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars, Canada Institute Advisory Board and as Chairman of the Board of Governors for the prestigious University of Guelph. He is an avid golfer and a member of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews in Scotland.
While he was President and Chief Operating Officer of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company LLC, Mr. Cooper presided over a major expansion of the brand which now numbers 73 hotels around the world.
In 2008, Mr. Cooper was named "Corporate Hotelier of the World" by HOTELS magazine. The award was determined by votes cast by more than 60,000 readers in 170 countries.
Bancroft S. Gordon
Vice President, Senior Counsel and Corporate Secretary
David J. Grissen †
President - The Americas
David J. Grissen is President, The Americas for Marriott International, Inc. Mr. Grissen's specific responsibilities include the financial management and leadership of all of the Americas' Lodging operations comprising more than 3,200 hotels and a work force of 100,000 associates. This includes responsibilities for sales and marketing, revenue management, human resources, engineering, rooms operations, food and beverage, retail, spa, information resources and development.
Prior to his current position, he served as President, Americas; Executive Vice President of the Eastern Region; Senior Vice President of the Mid-Atlantic Region and Senior Vice President of Finance and Business Development.
Mr. Grissen is chair of the Americas' Hotel Development Committee and a member of the Lodging Strategy Group and Corporate Growth Committee. He is also Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors for Back on My Feet, an organization that helps individuals experiencing homelessness.
Mr. Grissen holds a bachelor's degree from Michigan State University and a master's degree from Loyola University in Chicago.
Carolyn B. Handlon
Executive Vice President-Finance and Global Treasurer
Carolyn Handlon is executive vice president and global treasurer for Marriott International, Inc. Ms. Handlon is responsible for corporate financings and financial analysis, the mortgage banking business, securitization programs, cash management, and foreign exchange activities. Ms. Handlon's leadership in arranging third-party real estate financing for owners of Marriott hotels has contributed to the five-fold increase in hotel rooms during her tenure with the company. She has developed global debt and currency programs in support of the company's operations in over 65 countries and territories, such as mergers and acquisitions with spin-offs.
Ms. Handlon joined Marriott in 1987 as a corporate finance manager. Since then, she has held the positions of vice president of corporate finance and assistant treasurer, senior vice president finance and treasurer, and was subsequently promoted to her current position of executive vice president and global treasurer. Prior to joining Marriott, Ms. Handlon held various management positions at the Overseas Private Investment Corporation and at the Continental Illinois Bank.
Ms. Handlon earned a bachelor's degree in economics from Virginia Tech University and a master's degree from Indiana University.
Deborah Marriott Harrison
Senior Vice President Government Affairs
Deborah Marriott Harrison, an honors graduate of Brigham Young University, has held several positions within Marriott since 1975, including accounting positions at Marriott Headquarters and operations positions at Key Bridge and Dallas Marriott hotels. She has been actively involved in serving the community through participation on various committees and boards, including but not limited to the Mayo Clinic Leadership Council for the District of Columbia and the boards of the Bullis School, the D.C. College Access Program, and the J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation. Her extensive knowledge of the Company, its history and its mission, and her strong ties with the community bring valuable experience and insight to Marriott's Government Affairs initiatives. She has also served on the boards of several mental health organizations, including The National Institute of Mental Health Advisory Board, Depression and Related Affective Disorders Association, and the Center for The Advancement of Children's Mental Health in association with Columbia University.
Kevin M. Kimball
Executive Vice President Finance
Kevin Kimball joined Marriott Corporation in 1976 as an analyst in the Treasury Department. During his 35 year career with Marriott, Kevin has held positions of increasing responsibility at Marriott corporate headquarters, in departments including corporate finance, corporate controller and financial planning & analysis.
Since 1994, Kevin has led the Lodging Finance organization as Senior Vice President and Executive Vice President, Lodging Finance and is currently responsible for all aspects of lodging business finance and accounting on a global basis.
Kevin received a bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland in 1972. In addition, he is a licensed CPA in Maryland.
Alex Kyriakidis †
President and Managing Director - Middle East & Africa
Alex Kyriakidis is President and Managing Director, Middle East & Africa, for Marriott International, Inc., with responsibility for all business activities for the Middle East & Africa Region (MEA), including operations, sales and marketing, finance and hotel development.
Prior to joining Marriott in January 2012, Mr. Kyriakidis served as Global Managing Director – Travel, Hospitality & Leisure for Deloitte LLP. In this role, Mr. Kyriakidis led the Global Travel, Hospitality & Leisure Industry team, where he was responsible for a team of 4,500 professionals that generated $700 million in revenues.
Mr. Kyriakidis has 38 years of experience providing strategic, financial, M&A, operational, asset management and integration services to the travel, hospitality and leisure sectors. He has served clients in 25 countries, predominantly in the EMEA and Asia/Pac regions.
He is a fellow of the Arab Society of Certified Accountants, the British Association of Hotel Accountants and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.
Mr. Kyriakidis holds a bachelor of science degree in computer science and mathematics from Leeds University in the United Kingdom. He is based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Stephanie C. Linnartz
Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing and Commerical Officer
Kathleen Matthews
Executive Vice President Global Communications and Public Affairs Officer
Kathleen Matthews is the chief communications and public affairs officer for Marriott International, the global hotel company based in Bethesda, Maryland. She is responsible for the company's external and internal communications, including global brand and corporate public relations, corporate social responsibility and community engagement, diversity initiatives and government affairs. She also co-chairs Marriott's Executive Green Council.
A San Francisco native, Matthews is a 1975 honors graduate of Stanford University. Since 1980 she has been married to Chris Matthews, host of Hardball and The Chris Matthews Show; they live in Chevy Chase, Maryland and have three children, Michael, Thomas and Caroline. Matthews serves on the boards of several organizations, including U.S. Travel Association, Ford's Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Nantucket Film Festival and Nantucket Dreamland Theater.
For 25 years, she was a reporter and co-anchor of ABC 7 News (WJLA-TV), in Washington, D.C., on weeknights and also co-host of Capital Sunday. Matthews has been awarded nine local Emmys and has been honored as a "Woman Who Means Business" by the Washington Business Journal. In 2002, she was named Washingtonian of the Year by Washingtonian Magazine. Her further credits include the Edward R. Murrow award, the George Foster Peabody award, the David Brinkley award, Associated Press awards, and the Gracie Allen award from the American Women in Radio and Television. In December 2006, Kathleen Matthews left the news room to assume the position of Executive Vice President of Global Communications and Public Affairs at Marriott International.
Amy C. McPherson †
President and Managing Director - Europe
Amy C. McPherson is President & Managing Director, Europe. She is responsible for the performance and growth of a new division that combines the United Kingdom, Ireland and Continental Europe. Ms. McPherson is also a corporate officer for Marriott International.
Ms. McPherson joined Marriott in 1986 and most recently served as Executive Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing. In this role, she was responsible for the company's global and field sales, marketing, revenue management, e-commerce, worldwide reservation sales and customer care, and sales channel strategy and analysis.
Other key positions held by Ms. McPherson include Senior Vice President of Business Transformation and Integration, and Vice President of Finance and Business Development.
In November 2005, Ms. McPherson was named one of the top "Women Who Mean Business" by the Washington Business Journal, honoring the region's most influential business women.
Prior to joining Marriott, she worked for Air Products & Chemicals in Allentown, Pa. Ms. McPherson is a graduate of James Madison University and holds a BBA degree in Business Management and Economics, as well as an MBA degree from the College of William & Mary.
Laura E. Paugh
Senior Vice President Investor Relations
Laura Paugh is senior vice president of investor relations for Marriott International, Inc. Based at Marriott's corporate headquarters in Bethesda, Md., she is one of the company's spokespersons to the investment community, media and other audiences. Ms. Paugh manages the company's investor relations effort, including relationships with security analysts and institutional investors.
One of the first women to hold a financial management position at Marriott, Ms. Paugh joined the original Marriott Corporation in 1980 as a financial analyst in corporate financing planning. Prior to joining Marriott, Ms. Paugh held finance positions at Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, Mich.
She received a bachelor's degree in economics and an M.B.A. degree from the University of Maryland, College Park.
David A. Rodriguez †
Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer
David A. Rodriguez assumed the role of executive vice president – global human resources for Marriott International in 2006. Mr. Rodriguez was appointed a corporate officer in 2000, and in 2004, to the board of directors' Committee for Excellence.
Mr. 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, Mr. Rodriguez held various human resources-related positions at Citicorp (now Citigroup) and Avon Products.
Mr. 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 Cowdrick Group, Personnel Roundtable, Advisory Council on Human Resources Management, Human Capital Leadership Council (Hewitt), Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, American Psychological Association, and the Hispanic Association for Corporate Responsibility.
Edward A. Ryan †
Executive Vice President and General Counsel
Edward A. "Ed" Ryan assumed the role of executive vice president and general counsel for Marriott International in 2006, and is a senior executive officer of the company.
Mr. Ryan joined Marriott in 1996 and has had responsibility for all new management agreements and real estate development worldwide for full service, select service and extended stay hotels. Most recently, Mr. Ryan assumed responsibility for all corporate transactions and corporate governance. Prior to joining Marriott, Mr. Ryan engaged in private practice in Washington, D.C., first with the firm of Crowell & Moring from 1978 to 1984, and then with Hogan & Hartson from 1984 to 1996, where he was made partner in 1989.
Mr. Ryan is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, receiving his A.B. summa cum laude in 1975 and his J.D. cum laude in 1978. While attending law school, he was associate editor of the Law Review. Mr. Ryan has been a key contributor to Marriott's global growth and is highly respected in the field for his industry leadership.
† Executive officer as defined under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
