Wynn Resorts has named Julie Cameron-Doe as its new CFO, while Summit Hotel Properties has named a new non-executive chairman of the board.
Wynn Resorts names Julie Cameron-Doe as new CFO
Wynn Resorts, Limited will appoint Julie Cameron-Doe as its CFO, effective in the second quarter of 2022 on completion of her notice period with her current employer. She will succeed Craig Billings, who will become the company’s CEO early next year.
“Julie is a proven leader and is a sitting public company CFO,” said Billings. “Coming from the gaming industry, she understands many aspects of our business and she has diverse international experience. She is the clear choice for this position and her appointment rounds out our senior executive team. We are indeed fortunate to have her join us next year.”
Cameron-Doe will join Wynn Resorts from Aristocrat Leisure Ltd., where she has served as CFO since 2018. She will bring a wealth of diverse financial experience to Wynn, having held senior finance roles at Aristocrat since 2013 as well as in global businesses, including Orbitz, The Walt Disney Company and KPMG.
“To me, Wynn Resorts represents the gold standard in resort companies,” she said. The opportunity to work alongside Craig and the team, building on their legacy of excellence, is incredibly exciting. I look forward to contributing to the company’s growth and future development.”
Summit Hotel Properties makes board of directors transition
Summit Hotel Properties Inc. has revealed that Dan Hansen will retire from his role as the company’s executive chairman effective Dec. 31. Jeff Jones, currently the company’s lead independent director, will assume the role of non-executive chairman of the board effective Jan. 1, 2022.
Hansen will continue to serve on the company’s board of directors for the remaining term of his current nomination through the 2022 annual meeting of stockholders.
“It has been a tremendous privilege to have led Summit as its CEO for over 10 years and as executive chairman during this past year,” said Hansen. “While I will be leaving my formal role with the company to pursue other interests, the transition plan we put in place at the beginning of last year has been completed and I believe Jon Stanner, who became president/CEO on Jan. 15, is fully prepared to lead the company in its next phase of growth. I continue to fully support the strategic direction of the company and believe with our current management team and continued support by our board of directors we are well equipped to lead the company going forward.”
Stanner added, “I will forever be grateful for Dan’s guidance, mentorship and friendship. As he transitions to the next phase of his life, he leaves behind a lasting legacy of success, underpinned by a tremendous track record and unwavering commitment to transparency and integrity. His influence at Summit and our industry more broadly has been inspirational for me, and I look forward to continuing his unrelenting pursuit of excellence.”
“On behalf of the entire board of directors, I’d like to sincerely thank Dan for his tremendous efforts and congratulate him on his many accomplishments as a leader of Summit since our IPO in 2011,” said Jones. “He has been an integral part of the growth of our company and is widely respected for his dedication and commitment to our industry. The board has been pleased with the significant progress we have made through the leadership transition, and we look forward to building on the growth being created by our recently announced $822-million transformational acquisition of a 27-hotel portfolio from NewcrestImage.”
Jones joined the company’s board of directors in July 2014 and currently serves as the lead independent director, is chairman of the audit committee and a member of the compensation committee. In addition, he is currently chairman of the board of directors, chairman of the audit committee and a member of the compensation committee for Noodles & Company, a publicly held fast-casual restaurant chain. He also serves on the board of directors, is the lead independent director, chairs the audit and finance committee and is a member of the compensation committee for Hershey Entertainment and Resorts, a privately held entertainment and hospitality company.
He also serves on the board of directors of ClubCorp and is a member of the US Bank Advisory Board. He previously served as the president/CFO of Vail Resorts Inc. where he also sat on the company’s board of directors.
In addition, as previously announced in conjunction with the acquisition of the NewcrestImage portfolio, NewcrestImage will have the right to nominate one director to the company’s board of directors at the closing of the transaction which is expected to occur later this year or in the first quarter of next year.
Dalata appoints new COO, makes board committee changes
Dalata Hotel Group plc, a hotel operator in Ireland with a growing presence in the U.K., has appointed Des McCann as COO effective Jan. 1, 2022. He will work closely with Stephen McNally until he retires from his executive role on Feb. 28, 2022.
McCann joined the group in 2011. He has extensive senior hotel operations experience, previously serving as GM of The Clyde Court Hotel, The Ballsbridge Hotel and Clayton Hotel Dublin Airport. He was appointed group GM of Clayton Hotels in Ireland in November 2018. He is the current chairman of the Failte Ireland Steering Committee on Sustainability & Innovation and a member of the National Council of the Irish Hotels Federation.
Due to a change in personal circumstances, Conal O’Neill has decided not to take up the role of COO on Jan. 1, 2022, as previously announced. O’Neill will continue in his current position as group GM.
Dermot Crowley, Dalata Hotel Group CEO, said, “I am delighted to have someone of the caliber of Des to step into the COO role. Des has been instrumental in growing the reputation of Clayton Hotels on the island of Ireland over the last three years and has skillfully led the Clayton team through very challenging times since the start of the Pandemic in early 2020. I look forward to continuing to work alongside both Des and Conal in the years ahead.”
Following the recent appointment of Cathríona Hallahan and Gervaise Slowey to the board, the company also announces a number of changes to its committee structures and individual non-executive directors’ responsibilities which will also take effect from Jan. 1, 2022.
Hallahan will join the Audit & Risk Committee and the ESG Committee. Slowey will join the Remuneration Committee and the ESG Committee and take over as non-executive director with responsibility for workforce engagement.
Shane Casserly will replace Stephen McNally on the ESG Committee
John Hennessy, group chair, said, “I am delighted to announce these changes to our board committees. Our newly appointed non-executive directors will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the roles they will take up on Jan. 1, 2022, and I am looking forward to working with them in the years ahead. I am also looking forward to the contribution Shane Casserly will make as a member of the ESG committee. Shane will bring to this committee significant knowledge of ESG matters and a keen interest in embedding sustainability in the business. Shane will replace Stephen McNally on the ESG committee. Stephen, whose retirement from his executive role in early 2022 has already been announced, will retire from the Board on Dec. 31, 2021. I would again like to acknowledge Stephen’s immense contribution, as a director and as an executive, to the success of Dalata over many years, and to wish him well in his retirement.”
