Jennifer Fox
President, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts
Last
November, Jennifer Fox was appointed president of Toronto-based
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, a collection of luxury properties around
the world that includes The Savoy in London and The Plaza in New York
City. She has more than 25 years of hospitality-related experience and
came to Fairmont from the InterContinental Hotels Group, where she
served as chief operating officer, managed operations, Continental
Europe. She recently took some time to discuss her job with M&C.
What's high on your current to-do list?
We're dedicated to developing a larger global footprint by adding
hotels in key gateway cities and attractive resort destinations. Much of
our focus is on growth in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, but we're
also looking at opportunities for expansion in North America such as
Philadelphia, Denver, Houston and Miami.
What advice can you offer planners booking meetings and events with Fairmont?
Take advantage of our colleagues' expertise. Our sales staff and
catering managers can help organize incredible experiences that reflect
the local culture, environment, cuisine and more, and we've developed an
event technology concierge service to streamline high-tech meetings.
How do you feel as a woman in a business that is heavily dominated by men in the top ranks?
It's been a non-issue for me. In this business I've found that you are
judged daily on how you perform for the key constituents -- guests,
colleagues and owners -- and not on your gender. But I do think that
sometimes women hotel executives in particular might miss out on
opportunities that will help them grow by not being willing to relocate
and take on global opportunities, which will strengthen their background
and skill-set and enable them to take on more senior roles.
On the MovePlannersTwinsburgh, Ohio-based Experient has promoted Nancy DeBrosse to senior vice president, association and government markets.
Suppliers
The Reno-Sparks Convention & Visitors Authority recently appointed Christopher Baum to serve as the organization's new president and chief executive
officer.
The 250-room Corinthia Hotel St. George's Bay in St. Julian's, Malta, has named Stuart Chappell as general manager.
The Beverly Hills (Calif.) Conference & Visitors Bureau has hired Mary Saunders De Hoyos as senior manager, business development.
At the 1,005-room JW Marriott Indianapolis, Anne Dunlavy has been named director of sales and marketing.
Kimberly Dunnegan has been hired to serve as senior sales executive at the 575-room JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort in Tucson, Ariz.
Dawn Eagleton
has been named global sales manager for Associated Destinations
Worldwide, the new global sales organization launched by Associated
Luxury Hotels International.
At the 218-room Longboat Key Club & Resort in Sarasota, Fla., Dennis Geers has been appointed as a sales manager in the resort sales division.
Karen Howell
has been hired as national sales manager for the 301-room Renaissance
World Golf Village Resort and Convention Center in St. Augustine, Fla.
Eric Pere has been named general manager of the 400-room Corinthia Hotel St. Petersburg in Russia.
The 76-room Hotel Indigo–St. Petersburg (Fla.) Historic Downtown District has hired Nancy A. Rocker, CHA, as general manager.
At the 253-room Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain, in Tucson, Ariz., David Serus has been named executive chef.
The Greater Lansing (Mich.) Convention and Visitors Bureau has hired Amanda Toy as sales manager, association sales.
Dijon, France-based European Cities Marketing has named Garry White as its new chief executive officer.