Craig S SmithMarriott International Asia Pacific (APAC) has announced that Simon F. Cooper, President and Managing Director of Asia Pacific, will retire at the end of the month. Craig S. Smith, President of Marriott International Caribbean & Latin America (CALA), will succeed him.
“During an impressive and well-travelled career, Simon has been widely known as an influential leader in the hospitality industry,” said Arne Sorenson, President and CEO, Marriott International. “His leadership has been instrumental in the globalisation of Marriott’s operations ushering in an exciting chapter of growth at our company,” Sorenson added.
Cooper led the operating performance and growth of Marriott in APAC. “These past few years have been tremendous. Not only did our APAC presence grow at an impressive rate but it has been wonderful to see the positive effect Marriott has had on the region’s development. It was very meaningful to end my tenure with a visit to the Marriott Yao Foundation Hope School in the Sichuan Province of China. The school’s goal is complementary to ours: Opening doors to a world of opportunity,” said Cooper. “I have no doubt that Craig will continue Marriott’s success in the region while making sure that the company stays true to its core values,” he added.
As President of the Caribbean & Latin America region, Smith was responsible for more than 90 hotels in 25 countries. Since assuming the role in 2012, Smith and his team positioned the region for growth that is projected to include adding 14,000 jobs and over 70 additional properties across 10 lodging brands in 26 countries and territories by 2017.
Smith has previously worked in Hong Kong serving as COO for Marriott International’s APAC region. At that time he was responsible for 150 hotels, which generated in excess of USD 3.5 billion in revenue. Under his leadership, market share improved by over 15 per cent in three years. Smith has also served as Area Vice President for South East Asia and Hong Kong/Macau, and was Area Vice President for India, Pakistan, and Southeast Asia.
“I’m looking forward to returning to Asia. A lot has changed since I moved from APAC to CALA and I’m excited to return to the region while it is going through this incredible expansion,” said Smith. “Asia Pacific is integral to Marriott International achieving its objective of becoming the world’s favourite travel company.”
“CALA and APAC have a surprising number of shared traits but in many ways they are worlds apart,” said Smith, “It’s a wonderful opportunity and a huge challenge following in Simon’s footsteps. I’m very much looking forward to building on his success. I am truly standing on the shoulders of a giant,” he added.
