NATIONAL REPORT—BridgeStreet has a new CEO, IHG adds to its marketing leadership team, and the family legacy of Cicero’s Development Corp. continues. Check out these personnel shifts in the industry:
BridgeStreet Taps Kamal Advani as CEO
Extended-stay business travel solutions provider BridgeStreet has appointed Kamal Advani as CEO to succeed Sean Worker, who will be leaving to pursue other interests.
Advani, a longstanding BridgeStreet board member and a managing director of BridgeStreet’s controlling shareholder, Versa Capital Management LLC, brings with him an intimate understanding of the business and 30 years of operating and finance experience, leading companies to achieve sustainable and profitable growth.
“In recent years, BridgeStreet has transitioned into a leading platform providing clients with immediate access to millions of extended-stay options, all with price transparency and 24/7 customer support,” said Advani, “I am excited to take on a greater operational role and help continue BridgeStreet’s evolution as growth accelerates with rapid customer adoption of BridgeStreet’s platform and leading-edge capabilities.”
BridgeStreet Chairman and Versa Capital CEO Gregory Segall, added: “We are confident that Kamal’s in-depth knowledge of and close working relationship with BridgeStreet and its management team enable him to help the company reach the next stage of its evolution and potential. We are grateful to Sean Worker for his efforts and wish him the very best as he moves on to his next challenge.”
“I’m proud to have had the opportunity to work with exceptional colleagues at BridgeStreet to revolutionize extended-stay business travel and look forward to pursuing my next chapter personally and professionally,” said Worker.
IHG Names SVP of Global Insights, Analytics and Data
IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) has tapped marketing analytics expert Matt Kistler as SVP of global insights, analytics and data.
Charged with elevating IHG’s consumer insights and marketing effectiveness, Kistler and his team harness the power of analytics to better anticipate and meet guest needs and preferences and bolster the position of the company’s global portfolio of 15 brands. In addition to consumer insights, Kistler’s team is responsible for assessing brand and category performance and measuring the return on investment of marketing campaigns and activities around the globe. IHG will leverage his expertise and leadership to help define its future data strategy and harness insights to create intensely personal experiences for guests visiting its more than 5,600 hotels around the world.
Kistler brings more than 25 years of experience in leadership roles at consumer organizations. Most recently, he served as EVP, chief strategy & client partner at Symphony AI. Prior to that Kistler was SVP, global consumer insights & analytics at Walmart where he positioned the company as a thought leader, with a pulse on trends shaping consumer behavior.
Reporting to Chief Marketing Officer Claire Bennett, Kistler is based at IHG’s Americas headquarters in Atlanta.
Third Generation of Family Leadership Joins Cicero’s Development Corp.
As part of its continuing legacy, Cicero’s Development Corp. has appointed Lauren Cicero as client development manager, becoming the third generation to be employed at the family owned general contractor and construction business.
Lauren Cicero is a granddaughter of the family’s patriarch, Sam Cicero, Sr. who launched the business in 1971, and was raised in the construction company that she now joins. A graduate of the University of Tampa majoring in entrepreneurship, Lauren Cicero previously worked at software developer Reynolds & Reynolds, and in a sales executive role at Kraft Heinz in Tampa, FL.
Her transition at the family business is a natural step leveraging her sales background, education and construction experience, commented her father Sam Cicero, Jr., the current president of Cicero’s Development Corp. “Lauren has sharpened her knowledge and skills outside of Cicero’s Development in the broader business world. We’re thrilled to have her join our team in bringing superior service to our customers.”
In addition to her sales duties, Lauren Cicero will also serve as an onsite representative at the company’s major renovation projects around the country to carry on the family’s legacy of relationship-driven management.