Incoming chief strategy officer for Accor tells Hotel Investment Today the timing was right to start a new challenge after leading JLL's hospitality division.
“I am grateful to those [women leaders in hospitality] who paved the way for me,
and I recognize the level of responsibility that I have to continue to pave the
way for the next generation to come.”
Those are the words of Gilda Perez-Alvarado, the newly named
chief strategy officer for Accor, starting October 1. The current global CEO of
JLL Hotels & Hospitality will become a member of group’s management board,
based in Paris, in charge of overseeing global strategy, relations with hotel
owners, and strategic partnerships, reporting directly to Accor Chairman and
CEO Sébastien Bazin.
She told Hotel Investment Today, “I am incredibly proud of
my 19 years at JLL and feel like this is the perfect time in my life – both personally
and professionally – to start a new challenge. The hospitality industry is
experiencing a tremendous amount of growth and innovation, and how better to
experience it firsthand than being a part of a major leading global hospitality
company.”
The opportunity came about organically, Perez-Alvarado said.
“I have long admired the company and its leadership, and the opportunity came
about at the perfect time,” she said, adding that working with Bazin and his
team has her most excited.
Reflecting on her time at JLL, Perez-Alvarado said she is most
proud of the team and everything they built together, including their legacy
and global network. “I am leaving JLL in great hands under the leadership of
Kevin Davis, Will Duffey and Nihat Ercan, and I am closing an incredible
chapter in my life with a great sense of fulfillment and immense gratitude.”