WHY IT RATES: Marriott
International continues to reshape its leadership group to better serve its
customers around the world.—Donald Wood, News Editor.
Marriott International announced that after 26 years with
the company, Leeny Oberg, Marriott’s Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice
President, Development, has decided to retire effective March 31, 2026. Two
long-time Marriott veterans have been named her successors. Next year, Jen
Mason will become the company’s Chief Financial Officer and Shawn Hill will
take on the role of Chief Development Officer.
Oberg has served as Marriott’s CFO since 2016. In February
2023, Oberg was additionally tapped to lead the strategic growth of the
company’s global lodging portfolio. “Leeny’s focus on value creation is evident
in everything she does. Whether it was
navigating the pandemic successfully, enhancing the company’s cost
competitiveness or having a disciplined and strategic approach to investing in
growth, her impact on Marriott is long lasting,” said Anthony Capuano,
President and Chief Executive Officer, Marriott International. “Leeny’s
strength lies in the depth of her expertise, but also in her warmth,
relatability and dedication to support those who work with her. As a result,
she has built a deep bench of talented leaders who are ready to take the next
steps on the exceptional path she has helped carve for Marriott. I am grateful
to Leeny for helping to position the company so beautifully for this transition
and for her many years of leadership and friendship.”
“It has been an honor to be part of the Marriott team, and a
privilege to serve as the company’s CFO for the past decade and the leader of
the Development organization over the past few years,” said Oberg. “Reflecting
on my tenure, I am most proud of my teams and what we have accomplished
together. While it’s never easy to leave a company and job you love, I have the
utmost confidence in the leaders who will assume these roles and am very
optimistic about the strategic path Marriott is on. I look forward to working
collaboratively with them to ensure a smooth transition for the company.”
“Leeny has made substantial contributions to Marriott,
including her incredible work on the Starwood acquisition and integration and
her resolute navigation through the pandemic,” said J.W. Marriott, Jr.,
Chairman Emeritus, Marriott International. “Since she became CFO on January 1,
2016, the company has seen a significant increase in shareholder value, with
the stock meaningfully outperforming the S&P 500. Leeny embodies our values
and helped guide our culture throughout her career, and I am grateful for her
leadership. She will be missed.”
Prior to being named Marriott’s CFO in 2016, Oberg, 65,
served as the Chief Financial Officer for The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, where
she contributed significantly to the brand’s performance, growth, and
organizational effectiveness. Earlier in her career at the company, Oberg held
a range of finance leadership positions, including Senior Vice President,
Corporate and Development Finance and Senior Vice President, International
Project Finance and Asset Management for Europe and the Middle East and Africa.
Oberg first joined Marriott as part of its Investor Relations group in 1999.
Chief Financial Officer and Chief Development Officer
Successors Named
The company also announced that Jen Mason, a 33-year
Marriott veteran, will assume the role of Executive Vice President and Chief
Financial Officer once Oberg steps down from that role. Mason, 55, joined
Marriott in 1992 and currently serves as Global Officer, Treasurer and Risk
Management. In this role, Mason oversees global capital market activities and
hotel financing, financial strategy and capital allocation, financial risk
management, and global capital transactions and treasury services. Mason is also
responsible for the company’s risk management function including insurance,
claims, business continuity and global safety and security.
Since joining Marriott in 1992, Mason has held several
leadership roles, including CFO for the company’s largest segment, the U.S.
& Canada division, senior vice president of IT Business Partnership &
Planning, as well as senior vice president, Sales & Marketing Planning
Support. In her first 16 years with Marriott, she held a number of positions of
increasing responsibility in Internal Audit, Corporate Financial Planning &
Analysis, Lodging Finance and Business Development. Mason earned her Bachelor
of Science in Commerce with a concentration in Finance from the University of
Virginia, McIntire School of Commerce, and has an MBA from The Wharton School
of the University of Pennsylvania.
In addition, the company named Shawn Hill, 54, to the role
of Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer effective January 1,
2026, initially reporting to Oberg, and after Oberg steps down from her role,
to Capuano. Hill, who has been with the company for nearly 28 years, is
currently Chief Development Officer for Marriott’s Asia Pacific Excluding China
(APEC) region. In that role, Hill has been responsible for growing Marriott’s
share meaningfully in the APEC region through new development, existing hotel
conversions, franchising, branded residential, and affiliations and licensing
agreements with other travel brands and companies. During Hill’s tenure leading
Development for APEC, the region’s portfolio has grown from more than 465 open
properties and 276 in the pipeline when he began to more than 635 open
properties and another 383 properties in the pipeline as of March 31, 2025.
Hill started his career with Marriott in 1997. He worked at
Marriott’s headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland in Accounting, Finance, and Asset
Management before moving to Hong Kong to join the Asia Pacific Development team
in 2005. Hill received a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Oral Roberts
University and an MBA in Finance from the University of Maryland.
Upon assuming these roles, Mason and Hill will serve on
Marriott’s executive leadership team and report to President and CEO Anthony
Capuano. Oberg will step down from her role following Marriott’s filing of its
2025 Annual Report on Form 10-K. She will remain with the company until March
31, 2026, to help ensure a smooth transition.
“I am thrilled to welcome Jen Mason as our new Chief
Financial Officer and Shawn Hill as our new Chief Development Officer upon
their assumption of their new positions next year,” said Capuano. “Both will
bring an incredible depth of experience and demonstrated leadership to their
roles, making them well positioned to drive Marriott’s continued growth and
success in the years to come. Jen’s strategic financial acumen and Shawn’s
proven development expertise will help ensure that Marriott continues to lead the
industry. I look forward to continuing to work closely with them as we build on
our legacy of innovation and excellence.”
SOURCE: Marriott
International press release.
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