Bio

About

As a seasoned executive with over 20+ years of experience, I have always had a passion for bringing new and innovative ideas to life.

I am a global citizen who has worked across more than 40 countries and with 20 lifestyle and luxury brands, building extensive networks of partners and investors. My expertise spans business development, operations, marketing, sales and brand management, paired with strong team leadership and a strategic, problem-solving approach.

My passion is fostering growth, accelerating start-up companies, and developing new revenue streams in retail, experiences, and membership models for luxury lifestyle brands through strategic innovation. My work has been recognized by Skift, Fast Company and The New York Times.

I am committed to creating positive global impact through sustainable initiatives — collaborating with UNDP, the Equator Initiative and Pathway to Paris. I serve on the advisory board of The Hopenclass and as Chairman of the META Foundation, a non-profit organization that bridges the gap between physical and virtual spaces, art, and fashion.

Home for us as a family — my wife Maria and our beautiful daughters — is at the moment New York City.

Career — 2005 to 2024

  1. 2021

    Chief Development Officer / Managing Director

    Proper Hospitality

    Los Angeles, USA · December 2021 – January 2024

  2. 2019

    Senior Vice President — The Americas & Global Business Innovation

    Design Hotels, Inc. / Marriott International

    New York, USA · September 2019 – December 2021

  3. 2015

    Vice President — The Americas

    Design Hotels, Inc.

    New York, USA · November 2015 – September 2019

  4. 2013

    Regional Director of Marketing — Eastern & Central Europe

    Starwood Hotels & Resorts

    Vienna, Austria · May 2013 – October 2015

  5. 2011

    Regional Director of Sales — Eastern & Central Europe

    Starwood Hotels & Resorts

    Vienna, Austria · April 2011 – April 2013

  6. 2009

    Regional Director of Sales — Central Europe, Spain, South Africa

    Starwood Hotels & Resorts

    Munich, Germany · November 2009 – March 2011

  7. 2008

    Area Director of Sales & Marketing

    Starwood Hotels & Resorts

    Munich, Germany · December 2008 – November 2009

  8. 2005

    Director of Global Sales

    Hilton Sales Worldwide

    Frankfurt, Germany · September 2005 – November 2008

Awards, Boards & Social Commitment

Chairman of the BoardMETA Foundation — A non-profit organization that builds the bridge between physical and virtual spaces to support sustainable growth.
2021 – present
Member of the JuryHospitality Design Magazine
2021
Co-founderCollective Innovation — A cultural and artistic think tank promoting cross-industry collaboration.
2021 – present
Award — Virtual Experience InnovationSKIFT Idea Award
2020
Member of the Advisory BoardThe Hopenclass — Giving young people access to education.
2020 – 2023
CollaborationUNDP, Pathway to Paris, Equator Initiative — Further travel laboratory.
2017–2020
Member of the JuryAHEAD Americas Awards
2019, 2020
Member of the JuryUS Accenture Forbes ConsumerTech Awards
2017
Award — Best EAME Marketing CampaignStarwood International — Brand launch of Aloft Hotels in Central Europe.
2015
Award — Tourism Media Award at ITBComité International des Festivals du Film Touristique — Relaunch of the Imperial Hotel Vienna.
2015
Award — Best International Sales OfficeHilton Hotels & Resorts
2008

Languages

EnglishFluent
GermanFluent
SpanishIntermediate
JapaneseIntermediate

Education

Ph.D. — Hospitality Innovation StrategyUniversity of Dresden · Dresden, Germany
July 2010 – January 2015
Executive Development Program — Managing ComplexitiesINSEAD · Fontainebleau, France
June 2013 – December 2013
MBA — Change Management & FinanceIOM · Frankfurt, Germany
March 2004 – May 2007
Executive Development ProgramUniversity of Hawai‘i · Honolulu, USA
June 2001 – July 2001
Bachelor's DegreeUniversity of Wilhelmshaven · Wilhelmshaven, Germany
March 1994 – June 1998

Key Publications & Public Speeches

2022Shaping the Future of HospitalityBerlin, Germany
2021Metaverse for HumanityMontreal, Canada
2021Virtual Sustainable TravelNew York City, USA
2021A Collective Approach to Strategic InnovationLondon, UK
2020The Evolution of Virtual & Physical ExperiencesNew York City, USA
2020How to Develop New Models of Cooperation in Urban DevelopmentMontreal, Canada
2020Strategy in a Fast Changing EnvironmentLondon, UK
2019The Need to Breakthrough: Design, Experience & Human ConnectionNew York City, USA
2018The Dawn of Re-engagement and Transformational HospitalityMiami, USA
2018Activation of Hospitality SpacesNew York City, USA
2017Evolution of Design and Luxury ExperienceNew York City, USA
2017A New Generation in Lifestyle Luxury HospitalityLisbon, Portugal
2017Travel Brand Truth for Choice, Loyalty and ExperienceNew York City, USA
2016Differentiating Your Hotel from the CrowdOrlando, USA
2016Innovation Management in HospitalityBook — DeGruyter Publishing House
2015Digital Innovation in HospitalityLes Roches, Switzerland
2015The Evolution of Film in the Hospitality IndustryWarsaw, Poland
2014Innovation Management in Digital DistributionJournal publication
2014Social Media — Guest Experience in Real-timeBerlin, Germany
2014Hotels and Online Travel Agencies. Does it Have to be a Battle?Lausanne, Switzerland
2010How to Hire, Motivate and Retain the Best Sales PeopleLondon, UK
2010Walk in your key account shoes — What does your client expect from you?Amsterdam, Netherlands