John Willard “Bill” Marriott Jr. is set to retire as executive chairman of Marriott International’s board of directors in May and will not stand for re-election to the board at the upcoming annual meeting of stockholders.
In response, the board has designated Marriott as chairman emeritus, effective immediately following the upcoming 2022 meeting. The board also elected David S. Marriott to succeed J.W. Marriott Jr. as chairman of the board, also effective immediately following the annual meeting.
A Career in the Industry
J.W. Marriott Jr. spent his high school and college years working in a variety of positions in the family’s Hot Shoppes restaurant chain. He became a full-time associate in 1956, and soon afterward began overseeing the first Marriott hotel. He became president of the company in 1964 and CEO in 1972, a role he held for 40 years before stepping down on March 31, 2012. He was elected chairman of the board in 1985.
“On behalf of the board and the hundreds of thousands of people who wear a Marriott name badge around the world, I’d like to thank Marriott for his outstanding leadership throughout his tenure with the company. He is truly an industry icon,” said Anthony Capuano, CEO, Marriott International. “I’d also like to congratulate David Marriott on being elected chairman of the board. Not only does he have tremendous operational experience from his career at Marriott, but hospitality is in his DNA. I look forward to working alongside him for years to come.”
Chairman of the Board
David Marriott joined Marriott International in 1999 and was elected a director in 2021.
Before joining the board, he held a number of operational roles during his tenure with the company, including most recently as the president for U.S. full-service hotels managed by Marriott, where he was responsible for more than 330 hotels operating under 14 brands in 34 states. In this capacity, Marriott oversaw hotel operations, human resources, sales and marketing, finance, market strategy, information resources and development and feasibility.
Previously, Marriott served as chief operations officer - The Americas eastern region from 2010 to 2018 and also oversaw the U.S. integration efforts of Marriott’s acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.
Other positions at the company include market VP and SVP of global sales, where he helped update Marriott’s U.S. sales organization.
New Board Members
The board has elected Isabella D. Goren, former CFO of American Airlines and its parent, AMR Corp., as an independent director of the company, effective March 1. The board also appointed Goren to the board’s audit committee, effective on the same date. Goren will be included in the company’s slate of nominees for election at Marriott’s upcoming 2022 annual meeting.
Goren was CFO of American Airlines and AMR Corp. from 2010 through 2013. Her career in the travel business covers 27 years and includes both corporate and operational roles. Before being named CFO, she led the customer relationship marketing organization from 2003 to 2010, focused on customer service, implementation of personalized marketing and deployment of data analytics and customer technology.
Goren also served as president of AMR Services, a provider of ground services at major airports and a subsidiary of AMR Corp. Upon the sale of that business, she assumed the leadership of American’s customer services planning functions. Her responsibilities were later expanded to also include management of Asia Pacific Operations.
Lawrence Kellner to Retire; Fritz Henderson Named New Lead Director
Lawrence W. Kellner will not stand for re-election at the 2022 annual meeting. Kellner has served on the board for nearly 20 years and has served as the independent lead director and chair of the nominating and corporate governance committee since 2013.
The independent directors of the board have selected Frederick A. Henderson to succeed Kellner as lead director of the board, effective immediately following the 2022 annual meeting. Henderson has been a Marriott board member since 2013.
Upon J.W. Marriott Jr.’s and Kellner’s departure from the board, the board will reduce its size from the current 14 members to 12. With Goren’s election, the current 14 members of Marriott’s board of directors until May will be:
- J.W. Marriott Jr., executive chairman and chairman of the board, Marriott International
- Anthony G. Capuano, CEO, Marriott International
- Isabella D. Goren, former CFO, American Airlines and AMR Corp.
- Deborah Marriott Harrison, global cultural ambassador emeritus, Marriott International
- Frederick A. Henderson, former chairman and CEO, SunCoke Energy
- Eric Hippeau, managing partner, Lerer Hippeau
- Lawrence W. Kellner, president, Emerald Creek, Group, Marriott International’s lead director
- Debra L. Lee, former chairman and CEO, BET Networks
- Aylwin B. Lewis, former chairman, President and CEO, Potbelly Corporation
- David S. Marriott, former President, U.S. full-service managed by Marriott, Marriott International
- Margaret M. McCarthy, former EVP, CVS Health Corp.
- George Muñoz, principal, Muñoz Investment Banking Group
- Horacio D. Rozanski, president and CEO, Booz Allen Hamilton
- Susan C. Schwab, professor emerita, University of Maryland and former U.S. Trade Representative
Marriott International’s portfolio has nearly 8,000 properties across 30 brands in 139 countries and territories.