Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson dies at 62
Marriott Chief Government Arne Sorenson, who grew the business into the world’s most significant resort chain and steered it by a world pandemic that has been catastrophic in the vacation business in the earlier year, has died, the resort giant said Tuesday. He was 62.
Sorenson stepped absent from his administration part before this month to go after a more intense cancer remedy. He was first identified with pancreatic cancer in 2019.
J.W. Marriott Jr., the firm’s executive chairman, claimed Sorenson cherished just about every facet of the hotel small business and relished touring and assembly personnel close to the planet.
“Arne was an extraordinary executive – but extra than that – he was an outstanding human getting,” said Marriott mentioned in a ready statement Tuesday.
Sorenson was the 1st Marriott CEO whose name was not Marriott, and only the third to lead the business in its 93-year background.
Sorenson joined the Bethesda, Maryland, corporation in 1996, leaving guiding a partnership in a Washington legislation business in which he specialized in mergers and acquisitions. He rose to president and chief working officer before he was named CEO in 2012.
Just after getting to be Marriott’s prime executive, he oversaw the $13 billion acquisition of Starwood Inns in 2016. He pushed the global chain to develop into much more sustainable whilst also striving to combat human trafficking. He advocated for homosexual rights and opposed President Donald Trump’s 2017 ban on journey from majority Muslim countries
Even at the depths of the coronavirus pandemic, when Marriott’s revenue plunged extra than 70{56ef4555b1160ba09e855af6afd9aff20ca1ee0c32187e33609ae0a92f439672}, Sorenson remained optimistic.
“The fact of the matter is, people today adore to travel. They enjoy to journey for by themselves individually and they adore to travel for operate,” Sorenson said in November. “It truly is often the most attention-grabbing and it’s the put they’re heading to master the most.”
Tributes poured in Tuesday from company and civic leaders, which include Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin. CNBC host Jim Cramer mentioned in a Twitter publish that Sorenson believed business was the “biggest resource for social modify.”
“He was a wonderful chief who led with empathy, integrity and authenticity,” Common Motors Chairman and CEO Mary Barra tweeted.
Sorenson served on Microsoft’s board of administrators as nicely as the board of administrators for the Distinctive Olympics.
When Sorenson stepped back again from comprehensive-time duties this thirty day period, Marriott turned to two veteran executives, Stephanie Linnartz and Tony Capuano, to oversee day-to-day functions. They will go on in people roles right up until Marriott’s board names a new CEO, which is expected to take place in just two months, the organization reported.
Sorenson is survived by his wife, Ruth, and 4 adult little ones.
