People are on the move across the hospitality industry, including The Marcus Corporation’s longtime CFO and his replacement.
Marcus’ Douglas A. Neis to retire; Chad Paris to succeed as CFO
Douglas A. Neis, EVP/CFO, The Marcus Corporation, will retire on May 15 after 36 years of service. As part of this planned transition, Chad Paris, current corporate controller/treasurer, will be promoted to CFO upon Neis’ retirement. Neis (shown above) will serve as an advisor to the company following the transition.
“Doug has been a friend and valued colleague since the day I joined The Marcus Corporation, and I know I speak for all of us when I say how grateful we are for the impact he has made on our company,” said Gregory S. Marcus, president/CEO, The Marcus Corporation. “Over the course of 36 years, Doug has been a stalwart through times of growth and opportunity as well as times of change and challenge. Yet through it all, Doug kept us on course thanks to his thoughtful foresight, unbending integrity and calm ‘get it done’ demeanor. This is true even in how he approached his retirement, with smart planning and deft execution in recruiting, mentoring and soon promoting Chad Paris as his successor.”
He continued, “Since joining the company in October 2021, Chad has worked closely with Doug and me to understand our financial structure and our focus on maintaining a strong balance sheet, which has served us well over the years. Quite quickly Chad became a natural part of our team, and I am thrilled a professional of his caliber and character will support our strategy in the years ahead.”
Prior to joining the company, Paris served as SVP/CFO at Jason Group Inc., formerly Jason Industries Inc., a Milwaukee-based global manufacturing company, leading the company’s accounting and reporting, financial planning and analysis, tax, treasury, investor relations and information technology functions. Prior to being appointed CFO in 2017, he held various leadership roles in corporate and business unit finance at Jason. Earlier in his career, he served as audit senior manager for Deloitte & Touche LLP
Neis joined The Marcus Corporation in 1986 as controller of the Marcus Theatres division before quickly being promoted to controller of Marcus Restaurants in 1987. In 1991, he was appointed VP, planning and administration for Marcus Restaurants, and in 1994, was named director of technology for The Marcus Corporation. He was elected corporate controller in 1995 and was promoted to CFO/treasurer in 1996. In 2018, he was promoted to EVP of The Marcus Corporation.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to work with so many great people as well as three generations of the Marcus family during my lengthy career at The Marcus Corporation,” Neis said. “I have enjoyed getting up each and every day and going to work for the best movie theater and hotel company in the world—this truly has been my second family. As I get ready to spend more time with my wife, Sue, along with our four children and their families, I know I leave The Marcus Corporation in great hands, confident that it is positioned to continue to thrive in the years ahead.”
Selina makes management appointments
Selina, the lifestyle and experiential hospitality brand targeting Millennial and Gen Z travelers, has added Sam Khazary as SVP/head of global corporate development, and promoted Steven Ohayon to head of strategy; both individuals sit on Selina’s executive committee. In their respective roles, Khazary and Ohayon will work closely with Selina’s senior management team to fuel the company’s global expansion and cultivate new corporate partnerships, and represent Selina in global markets as it moves to becoming a publicly listed company.
Khazary brings to Selina nearly 20 years of financial and capital markets experience, with a core focus on the analysis and development of corporate strategies. In his new role, he leads the evaluation and execution of Selina’s global business development strategy to enhance both enterprise and shareholder value. His responsibilities include securing corporate financing, joint ventures, partnerships and strategic investments, as well as advising on opportunities to accelerate entrepreneurial growth and global product innovation.
He joins Selina from Fosun International Limited, where he served as managing director of investments and capital markets of North America, and was responsible for all facets of commercial real estate and hospitality strategy, investments and capital markets for the region. Prior to Fosun, he served in senior roles at FTI Consulting, RCS Capital and Cole Capital. He also held positions at Morgan Stanley, Ehrenkranz Partners and OppenheimerFunds.
Ohayon joined Selina in 2016 and has played an integral role in fueling Selina’s growth from two locations to 144 open or secured hotels across 25 countries and six continents, according to the company. During his tenure, he has led critical initiatives that have meaningfully contributed to Selina’s relationships, culture and investment outcomes, having raised approximately $350 million of equity for the company and facilitating hundreds of millions of dollars worth of real estate transactions on behalf Selina’s capital partners.
In his new position, he is responsible for overseeing the evolution of Selina’s strategic growth priorities across all verticals. He is also playing a leading role in executing Selina’s business combination with BOA Acquisition Corp., which, if consummated, will result in Selina becoming a publicly traded company.
Ohayon previously served as Selina’s head of business development. Prior to joining Selina, he served in various roles at Nomura Securities focusing on hospitality investment banking, mergers and acquisitions and private capital markets.
OTO Development promotes Johnston
Catherine Johnston has been promoted to VP, human resources at OTO Development. She is tasked with leading and developing the Spartanburg, SC-based hotelier’s HR team, which supports approximately 2,400 employees across the country.
She has two decades of experience in the HR field, with positions of increasing responsibility at SCANA Corporation, Extended Stay America, Trident Health and, for the past four-and-a-half years, OTO Development.
Donohoe appoints two VPs
Donohoe Hospitality Services (DHS), a division of Donohoe, has promoted Neeta Mayur to VP, revenue management, and Seon Heo to VP, sales and marketing.
Mayur is responsible for further growing Donohoe’s transient RevPAR index and driving overall share to its portfolio with special attention directed towards ramping up new hotels and assisting challenged properties in her new role.
With 20-plus years of hospitality experience across front-office operations, reservations, sales & marketing and revenue management, she began her hospitality career with Donohoe in 2010 as a revenue manager at the Holiday Inn Washington Capital – National Mall. Shortly thereafter, her role was expanded to include the Holiday Inn Arlington at Ballston, along with offering guidance to other DHS hotels. She was promoted to corporate director of revenue management in 2019 and has been instrumental helping to incorporate 1,135 rooms and seven new brands into three new submarkets over the past 16 months, according to the company.
In her new role, Heo assists Donohoe’s sales leaders to increase its share of the returning corporate, association, legal, citywide, government and extended-stay business.
A 16-year hospitality veteran, she joined Donohoe Hospitality Services in 2020 from PM Hotel Group, where she served as VP, sales and marketing. During her tenure with Donohoe, she has played an active role in talent acquisition and providing strategic guidance and mentorship to the company’s sales leaders. Additionally, she has supported efforts to pursue major group contracts, as well as maximizing the use of technology and brand tools to effectively monetize the business. She has experience in full-service, upscale boutique, specialty-select and extended-stay properties. She has held sales and marketing positions with such hospitality groups as Hersha Hospitality Management and The Doyle Collection.
Kirkwood Collection grows team
The Kirkwood Collection has expanded its corporate staff with additions in finance, marketing and revenue management as the luxury hotel chain grows throughout California.
Nick Galli joins the team as regional director of finance. He is responsible for ensuring that the portfolio achieves institutional-grade controls, procedures and reporting to meet USALI-11 compliance as Kirkwood prepares to launch its syndication platform integrating with private equity capital. Prior to joining Kirkwood, he was director of finance at the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs and previously worked at the St. Regis Aspen Resort.
Additional moves in the finance department at Kirkwood include the promotion of Emma Rosenberg from accounting to revenue manager and the addition of Chaya Siwamoktham who was previously at the Thompson Hollywood Hotel.
Kirkwood has also added to its marketing team with the hiring of Melissa Mortensen, who was previously with The Hoxton hotel in Downtown Los Angeles.
