BRUSSELS, BELGIUM—The Rezidor Hotel Group marked a new milestone in its history by appointing its first Saudi female General Manager in the company and the hospitality industry. Miss Maram Kokandi will be the General Manager of a new Park Inn by Radisson hotel in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, scheduled to open later this year. The appointment complements the Saudi Vision 2030 launched last year, which emphasizes the significance of Saudi women and their role in leading the development of both social and professional growth of the Kingdom. Wolfgang M. Neumann, President & CEO of The Rezidor Hotel Group said, “We are...

NEW YORK—Up on the roof of the Conrad New York, a luxury waterfront, all-suite hotel located in the heart of lower Manhattan’s Battery Park City, Executive Chef Gerron Douglas can be found year-round, overseeing a garden that even in the winter produces root vegetables, squash and some herbs. The rooftop garden and green roof have been in place since the LEED Gold certified hotel was renovated six years ago. “There is always something there,” Douglas says. “We adjust based on the season.” In the warmer months the garden produces lettuce, mustard greens and tomatoes. Douglas adds, “We really try...

Name: Ariel Fan Title: Energy Operations Manager Company: Brighton Management Years with company: Two years Primary responsibilities: “My primary responsibility is to make the hotels as lean and energy efficient as possible. Profitability and sustainability go hand in hand with energy efficiency.” Company’s most significant sustainability-related accomplishment: “Receiving the Energy Efficiency Partnership award from Southern California Edison.” Company’s most significant sustainability-related challenge moving forward: “Convincing ownership of the profitability of sustainability.” IRVINE, CALIF.—When she was 13 years old, Ariel Fan led a Greenpeace campaign against a major paper manufacturer for its cutting of rainforests. Today, her focus is building efficiency and making sure the hotels managed...

Name: Pranav Jampani Title: Director of Sustainability Company: Las Vegas Sands Corp. Years with company: Three years Primary responsibilities: “I oversee the sustainability program for our Las Vegas operations. We have some of the world’s largest green buildings with over 9,000 employees. I manage development, management and implementation of policies and programs.” Company’s most significant sustainability-related accomplishment: “It’s difficult to pick one. Last year Las Vegas Sands was ranked as one of the greenest large companies in the world in the 2016 Newsweek Green Rankings. Las Vegas Sands was the highest ranked hospitality company in the world. In addition, in Las Vegas, we have...

Name: Michael Chang Title: Director of Energy and Sustainability Company: Host Hotels & Resorts Years with company: 2.5 Primary responsibilities: He is responsible for the development and implementation of enterprise sustainability and resource management initiatives to improve environmental performance to drive incremental asset value. He also partners with Host’s Corporate Communications team on Corporate Responsibility reporting in the Annual and 10K reports and maintaining leadership in investor driven frameworks such as CDP, GRESB, and NAREIT Leader in the Light. Company’s most significant sustainability-related accomplishment: “This year we set a Science Based Target for our greenhouse gas emissions goal. We were among the first 20...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Board of Directors announced that Mahesh Ramanujam has completed the transition into his new role as president and CEO of USGBC, effective Nov. 4, 2016. He will also serve as President and CEO of USGBC’s sister organization, Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI). Formerly USGBC’s COO, Ramanujam takes the reins from Rick Fedrizzi, USGBC’s Founding Chair, who had previously announced plans to leave the organization toward the end of 2016. “It is an incredible honor for me to lead and serve this impressive and dynamic organization,” said Ramanujam. “I am grateful for the opportunity...

Name: Fabienne Eliacin Title: Environmental Services Coordinator Hotel: InterContinental Boston Years with hotel: 10 Primary responsibilities: “I’m part of the engineering team but also make sure we are aligned with Green Engage and doing training and orientation around our green initiatives.” Hotel’s most significant sustainability-related accomplishment: “We have a lot of them but from 2007 to 2015 the InterContinental Boston increased its recycling rate from 8 percent to 72 percent.” Hotel’s most significant sustainability-related challenge moving forward: “What is challenging is just trying to keep ahead—trying to be at the same level of our competition. Training employees and reminding them about our sustainability initiatives is...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Sustainable Travel International, the leading nonprofit focused on improving lives and protecting places through changes in the way destinations around the world manage travel and tourism, announced that Geoff Bolan has been named CEO. Bolan succeeds Sustainable Travel International’s Founder and CEO, Brian Mullis. Mullis will transition into an Executive Advisor role after nearly 14 years guiding the organization. Bolan will lead Sustainable Travel International in its next chapter of growth, focusing on expanding the organization’s global impact to combat threats like environmental degradation and economic inequality. Bolan joined Sustainable Travel International in January 2016 as the organization’s Chief...

LAS VEGAS—Further advancing its commitment to corporate social responsibility, MGM Resorts International announced the appointments of two proven leaders in the field of environmental sustainability. Chris Magee has been promoted to Vice President of Sustainable Facilities, while Yalmaz Siddiqui joined MGM Resorts as Vice President of Corporate Sustainability. “Implementing efficient, sustainable and morally responsible practices across our operations is a top priority for MGM Resorts,” said Cindy Ortega, Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer for MGM Resorts International. “Not only is it the right thing to do, but it is also a competitive differentiator. For these reasons, it is...

Name: Niki Zoli Title: Director, Social Responsibility & Community Engagement Company: Marriott International, Inc. Years with company: Nine Primary responsibilities: “My focus is on our natural capital projects and youth engagement programming, working with our communications team, and sustainability reporting.” Company’s most significant sustainability-related accomplishment: “I would say it is really about our efforts to provide opportunities in general—on the natural capital front and for youth. Our effort to preserve the Amazon rainforest was significant.” Company’s most significant sustainability-related challenge moving forward: “Climate change. The situation is more urgent now than ever. We set our environmental goals in 2008. Soon we will be announcing our...