SAN FRANCISCO—Kokua Hospitality has added two hospitality veterans to its executive team—Andrea Mue as EVP and CFO, and Leslie Lerude, SVP of people and culture. The pair joined Kokua in late 2016 and bring extensive hospitality experience through past roles at Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants.
Mue joined Kokua Hospitality with 16 years of experience after a 10-year stint with Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants in varying positions, ending her tenure there as the company’s CFO. Prior to Kimpton, she was an auditor for Ernst & Young in its real estate and hospitality practice, preceded by a role in reservations at the San Ysidro Ranch in Montecito, CA, which she attributes to igniting her passion for the hospitality industry.
Lerude began her career with Kimpton as a cook at Scala’s Bistro adjacent to the Sir Francis Drake Hotel in San Francisco. She took on various leadership roles in restaurant operations with Kimpton before transitioning into human resources, where she rose to become the company’s SVP of people and culture. She gained her HR expertise through roles overseeing talent management, learning and development, and employee relations. She most recently served as VP of people for Revolution Foods before joining the Kokua team.