Hilton Hotels Corp. has hired car rental industry executive Thomas Kennedy to oversee its global financial operations at a time when the hotel company plans to rapidly increase its international presence.
Kennedy began work last month in Hilton's Beverly Hills, Calif., headquarters as the company's executive vice president and chief financial officer. He most recently served in the same position for the U.S., Canadian and European operations of Vanguard Car Rental, parent of the National Car Rental and Alamo Rent-A-Car brands. He also worked in a variety of executive and management positions at Northwest Airlines from 1992 to 2003, as well as positions outside the travel industry at Chiquita Brands International, Bank of Yokohama and Merrill Lynch Capital Markets.
"Tom brings a wealth of experience and invaluable international credentials to Hilton's finance function at a key time for our company," Hilton president and CEO Christopher Nassetta said in a statement. "Having worked in travel and service-related industries, he adds further depth to Hilton's leadership, and I have great confidence that Tom's vast corporate finance experience will play a key role in the continued growth and evolution of Hilton as we execute on our strategic plan."
Hilton, having gained control of its international operations a few years ago, now is undergoing aggressive expansion of its brands overseas. Jonathan Gray, senior managing director of Hilton parent The Blackstone Group, recently said he would like to see Hilton's U.S.-international ratio of hotels increase from four to one to a 50-50 split in the next five years
(BTNonline, June 9).