Hilton names new CDO

McCLEAN, Virginia – Christian Charnaux will return to Hilton as executive vice president and chief development officer on July 1 with Kevin Jacobs relinquishing his CDO role and continue as chief financial officer.

Charnaux joins Hilton from Inspire Brands – the restaurant company that owns Arby’s, Baskin-Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dunkin’, Jimmy John’s, and SONIC – where he served as chief growth officer since its founding in 2018.

Charnaux will report to President and CEO Chris Nassetta.

Hotel Investment Today reached out to Hilton to ask why Jacobs was stepping back from the development role. Here is their written response: 

“Christian Charnaux joins Hilton at a pivotal moment in our growth, following a record year of openings, signings, and construction starts in 2024 that demonstrate the strength of our brands and commercial performance with owners. His appointment builds on Kevin Jacobs’ outstanding leadership and will allow us to further sharpen our focus on accelerating growth, to ensure we can serve travelers for any stay occasion, anywhere in the world they want to be.”

Previously at Hilton, Charnaux served in several brand management, commercial, and finance positions, including leading Hilton’s Investor Relations efforts.

“We are delighted to be welcoming Christian back to Hilton and grateful to Kevin for his tremendous leadership during this period,” Nassetta said. “Christian is joining at a time of incredible momentum for our business and will play a critical role in helping us accelerate our global growth agenda.”

Charnaux stated, “Having previously worked with Chris Nassetta and with many on the leadership team, I know the extraordinary culture and business to which I am returning, and I couldn’t be more enthusiastic about it. I look forward to working collaboratively with our teams and owners as we continue to build on Hilton’s record-breaking results.”

Prior to Hilton and Inspire Brands, Charnaux was with the Boston Consulting Group where he focused on the travel and consumer product sectors. He also worked for J.P. Morgan in the Technology Coverage and Mergers & Acquisition groups.