HTNG Appoints Senior Hotel IT Execs to Leadership Roles

5/9/2013
Hotel Technology Next Generation (HTNG), the membership association that unites the world’s hospitality companies and technology innovators to solve industry challenges, has announced several changes to its Board of Governors.  HTNG’s Board drives the organization to address the most pressing technology problems facing hotels, and the presence of senior technology executives from almost all major hotel companies ensures the industry relevance of our activities for all hotel managers, owners and franchisors.
 
The board’s new officers are:
President:  Jeremy Ward, Senior VP of Information Technology, Kempinski Hotels.  Jeremy moves to HTNG’s top leadership role after having served as its Vice President for two years.
Vice President:  Monika Nerger, CIO, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group.  Monika has been a very active member of the association since its founding in 2002, continuing her company’s leadership legacy
Secretary:  Mark Rupert Read, Group IT Manager, Firmdale Hotels.  Mark joined the Board in 2012 to get more involved with HTNG after presenting some of his ground-breaking IT implementations at the association’s European conference in 2010.
Treasurer:  Mike Blake, CIO, Commune Hotels & Resorts.  Mike has been a member of the board for several years, and continues in this role after having moved from Hyatt to his new employer, Commune.
 
"As an information technology and hospitality industry executive, I'm keenly aware of the challenges and opportunities that are presented to our industry by the ever-evolving technology landscape," said Jeremy Ward, Senior VP of Information Technology at Kempinski Hotels and new President of HTNG.  "HTNG has been instrumental in facilitating the collaboration that enables our industry to use technology to solve problems, improve guest satisfaction and operate more effectively through more efficient technology planning and deployment."
 
These officers, like all board members, volunteer their time to provide direction to HTNG.  Ward succeeds Marriott’s Jim Peterson, who left the Board following a change in his responsibilities at Marriott International. Peterson has been involved with HTNG for nearly 10 years, and will remain engaged as an Executive Advisor to the Board.  “Jim Peterson has provided exemplary leadership and counsel to HTNG as both its President and an HTNG member over a 10-year period in which information technology has undergone significant change,” said Doug Rice, Executive Vice President and CEO of HTNG.  “We owe a great debt of gratitude to Jim for his service and we look forward to his continuing contributions.”
Hank A. Weigle, Senior Vice President of Global Information Resources, IT Delivery at Marriott, was elected to fill the vacancy created by Peterson’s departure.  Also elected was Jeff Bzdawka, VP of Global Property Systems Portfolio.  Former Hyatt CIO Mike Blake, now CIO at Commune Hotels and Resorts, retains his board seat.
 
Other new members who have joined the board over recent months include:
Carson Booth, General Manager, Starwood International Licensing Company SÀrl & VP, Global Property Technology, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
Peter Engel, CTO, Marcus Hotels & Resorts
Daniel Kornick, SVP & CIO, Wyndham Hotel Group
Anand Rao, CIO, Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts
 
Continuing on HTNG’s board, a group which manages technology for more than 2.4 million guest rooms worldwide, are:
 
Floor Bleeker, VP of Information Technology, Jumeirah Group
Scot Campbell, VP & CIO, Pinnacle Entertainment
Scott Gibson, CIO and SVP of Distribution & Strategic Services, Best Western International
Vineet Gupta, EVP & CIO, Fairmont Raffles Hotels International
Kevin Quinlivan, CIO, Delaware North Companies
Gustaaf Schrils, VP, Global Technology, InterContinental Hotels Group
Richard Tudgay, VP Information Technology, Omni Hotels
 
To ensure vendor neutrality, HTNG’s Board of Governors consists exclusively of hotel IT executives.  Senior executives from the vendor community participate in HTNG’s Vendor Advisory Council, which advises the board and ensures that the vendor community and the board are aligned on key issues of mutual interest.
 
To learn more about the HTNG Board of Governors or Vendor Advisory Council, visit http://www.htng.org/leadership.
 
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