NATIONAL REPORT—Hospitality companies are bolstering their leadership rosters. C-suite executive appointments for Proper Hospitality and Island Hospitality Management are among the recent personnel news.
Danner New COO at Proper Hospitality
Luxury lifestyle brand Proper Hospitality has named Blake Danner as its new COO.
In this role, Danner oversees business strategy, organizational growth and development, and day-to-day operations within the Proper portfolio, which includes properties in San Francisco; Santa Monica, CA; Austin, TX; and later this year, downtown Los Angeles.
During his more than 25 years in hospitality, he worked with some of the world’s leading lifestyle visionaries and created award-winning new brands, according to the company. Prior to joining Proper Hospitality, he most recently served as COO for Sydell Group, helping to create hotel brands such as NoMad, The Line and Freehand. While with Sydell Group, he oversaw the growth of the company, opening 11 hotels in just seven years.
Additionally, Danner spent nearly a decade working for hotelier and developer Ian Schrager as the SVP of sales at Ian Schrager Hotels/Morgans Hotel Group.
Island Hospitality Management Promotes
Island Hospitality Management has promoted Gregg Forde to EVP/COO and Roger Pollak to EVP/CFO.
Forde joined Island Hospitality Management’s predecessor in 2003 after beginning his hospitality career with Marriott International in 1998. He has risen steadily through the ranks, serving as general manager, area manager, portfolio manager, regional manager, regional VP, SVP of operations, EVP—and now also as COO.
In this new role, he is responsible for all hotel operations, revenue management, talent acquisition, sales & marketing and development & service organizations.
Pollak joined Island Hospitality Management’s predecessor as controller in 1995 and has held progressive positions within the company, including director of financial reporting and controller, as well as SVP of accounting. In addition to being responsible for all financial functions of the company, he also has administrative oversight duties, including corporate administration and risk management functions, as well as the company’s IT and business intelligence departments.
Prior to joining Island, Pollak held similar positions with various companies, including a large real estate developer and property management firm.
IHG Names VP of Sales Operations & Enablement
IHG has appointed Mark Sergot as VP, global sales operations & enablement.
Sergot joins IHG with more than 25 years of experience managing and transforming international multi-segment, multi-brand, hotel sales and marketing organizations. In his new role, he is responsible for driving sales and commercial performance and developing solutions across the B2B customer buying journey to capitalize on market opportunities. He leads teams responsible for sales operations, sales effectiveness, analytics and insights, data and reporting, and B2B trade shows and events.
Previously, he served as chief sales officer for Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI). At ALHI, he was responsible for the productivity, structure, strategy and standards of a worldwide sales team and delivered the highest level of sales productivity in the history of the company. Prior to ALHI, he spent 16 years at FRHI Hotels & Resorts, the parent company of the Fairmont, Raffles & Swissotel brands, where he served in a variety of leadership positions, culminating in his role as SVP, global sales organization prior to the acquisition of FRHI by Accor Hotels.
CWT Appoints VP, Supply Chain Partners
CWT has named Dale Eastlund VP of supply chain partners. A 20-year veteran of CWT, Eastlund oversees CWT’s strategy and commercial relationships with supply chain partners. In his new role, he and his team work closely with online booking tools (OBTs) and other third-party platforms to further enhance the online booking experience for travelers and travel managers.
Prior to his new role, he laid the groundwork for CWT’s strategy to effectively respond to the challenges and opportunities of the airline industry’s new distribution capability (NDC), in his role as senior director for third-party aggregators and, prior to that, senior director for online booking tools. He was also instrumental in setting up CWT’s Solutions Group, the data analytics and consulting arm of CWT, in January 2000, and led CWT Solutions Group for the Americas. He also spent four years with CWT’s customer organization team, where he managed the company’s largest commercial account.