Top 10: People Leaders in Hospitality and Travel

The travel and hospitality industries rely heavily on its people to deliver world-class guest experiences – and the CHRO role is crucial to ensuring that the right people are in the right place.

From developing cultures of inclusivity to equity to prioritising employee wellbeing and professional development, this list highlights 10 of the most influential Chief People Officers and CHROs from major hotel and airline companies who are driving transformative people-first strategies. 

Their initiatives are helping to ensure that their organisations’ people strategy remains aligned with broader business objectives – ultimately shaping both the associate and guest experience globally.

10. Monica Melancon

Company: Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

Revenue: US$1.43bn

Employees: 2,200

Monica Melancon has held the role of Chief Human Resource Officer since February 2021, leading a wide range of corporate social responsibility and operations functions across the company’s global enterprise. 

This includes leading its culture of inclusivity through initiatives such as the Count on Me service – which encourages team members to be responsive, respectful and deliver great guest experiences – and equity in pay and representation.

Before joining Wyndham, Monica held senior HR leadership roles at Target and La Quinta. 

9. Keisha Smith

Company: Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts 

Revenue: US$4.3bn

Employees: 45,000

In her role as Chief People and Culture Officer for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Keisha Smith leads the company’s efforts to maintain and enrich the company’s celebrated culture and people-centric focus.

This, says the company, helps ensure that this culture remains a longstanding competitive advantage, helping to attract and retain top global talent. 

Before joining Four Seasons, Keisha held senior HR leadership roles in companies such as Tory Burch, News Corp and Morgan Stanley – bringing more than 20 years of leadership experience to her role

8. Tejas Katre

Company: IHG Hotels

Revenue: US$5.19bn

Employees: 385,000

As Chief Human Resources Officer of IHG, Tejas Katre is responsible for all aspects of the Group’s people and organisation strategy. 

The company’s culture has been developed to underpin what it describes as “True Hospitality For Good” – aimed at making a positive difference for people, communities and the planet – by prioritising inclusivity, respect and employee wellbeing. 

To achieve this, the company is focused on inclusive hiring and using employee listening sessions to drive change.

7. Laurent Choain

Company: Accor

Revenue: US$6.6bn

Employees: 360,000

In his role as Global Chief People and Culture Officer for Accor, Laurent Choain is helping the company reshape its talent strategy as it looks to expand its global footprint. 

To ensure the company’s wide-reaching workforce – which spans more than 110 countries – is in a position to deliver high-quality guest experiences, Accor has developed a Heartist ethos, which combines heart and art and is designed to signify passionate and authentic hospitality. 

This encourages employees to create personalised and memorable guest interactions.

6. Dr Nadia Bastaki

Company: Etihad Airways

Revenue: US$8.4bn

Employees: 10,000

Dr Nadia Bastaki has held the role of Chief People, Government and Corporate Affairs Officer of Etihad Airways since June 2025, having previously served as the company’s Chief People and Corporate Affairs Officer since November 2021. 

She is responsible for the company’s people and wellbeing strategy – covering employee engagement, people experience and diversity and inclusion, alongside other core HR functions. 

This people strategy has scaled rapidly in recent years, with the company focusing on expanding its workforce – representing 152 nationalities – to support fast rates of expansion.

5. Laura Fuentes

Company: Hilton Hotels

Revenue: US$12.04bn

Employees: 182,000

Laura Fuentes, Chief Human Resources Officer of Hilton Hotels, has played a key role in developing the company’s people-first culture, which led to it being named World’s Best Workplace by Fortune in 2025. 

In her role, she has helped develop a strong employee benefit offering and opportunities for professional development for employees.

Laura first joined Hilton Hotels in 2013 as a Vice President of Human Resources, before progressing up to the CHRO role.

4. Dana Ritzcovan

Company: Royal Caribbean Group

Revenue: US$17.9bn

Employees: 108,000

In her role as Chief People and Administrative Officer for Royal Caribbean Group, Dana Ritzcovan is responsible for the company’s human resources, ESG and corporate affairs functions. 

The company’s people strategy – often referred to as the ‘Culture of WOW’ – focuses on hiring for cultural alignment and accelerating leadership for the company’s global workforce. 

Before joining Royal Caribbean Group, Dana served as EVP and Chief Human Resources Officer at News Corp – where she oversaw its global human capital and ESG strategies, communications and health and safety efforts.

3. Ty Breland

Company: The Marriott

Revenue: US$26.2bn

Employees: 414,000

Ty Breland first joined the Marriott in 2004, progressing through several senior HR leadership roles before taking on the Chief Human Resources role in March 2025. 

In this role, Ty is responsible for creating a “unique, world-class employment experience” at the company, shaping both the associate and guest experience across 144 countries and territories. 

This helps ensure that Marriott hotels have the support they need to be successful, with the company being named a Where You Work Matters Platinum Employer for 2026

2. Paulo Pisano

Company: Booking Holdings

Revenue: US$26.92bn

Employees: 24,000

Paulo Pisano first became Chief People Officer for Booking Holdings in August 2021, and the Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer of Booking.com in March 2020. 

Responsible for managing the people strategy for a global organisation of 24,000 employees, Paulo has prioritised building what he refers to as a ‘low ego’ culture. 

This includes prioritising data-driven decision making, collaboration across teams and resisting the ‘HiPPO’ – the highest paid person’s opinion. 

Following this approach allows Paulo and his team to build a culture of transparency across the company, which gives employees the space to experiment and innovate.

1. Cole Brown

Company: American Airlines

Revenue: US$54.6bn

Employees: 138,900

As the Chief People Officer of American Airlines, Cole Brown plays a key role in aligning the company’s people strategy and overall team member experience with its broader business goals.

She first took on the role in 2021, and has a track record of driving organisational performance across several Fortune 500 companies – such as Amazon and Walmart. 

In her role, Cole has helped advance the company’s mission to ‘Care for People on Life’s Journey’ by ensuring employee wellbeing remains central to the company’s culture. 

This includes expanding its diversity initiatives, such as a Women’s Leadership Programme to build a talent pipeline for female pilots and executives, and improving female representation in the aviation industry