Sue Stephenson, a human resources executive with 25 years experience in the hospitality industry, relocated from England to the United States in 1991 to join The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC. The company, which is headquartered in Chevy Chase, Maryland, generates US$3 billion in annual revenue and currently has 62 properties across the United States, Caribbean, Asia, Middle East and Europe.

Until recently, Sue was the Senior Vice President, Human Resources. In this role, she worked closely with the President & Chief Operating Officer and the other members of the Corporate Executive Committee. This senior team navigated the company through a period of tremendous growth into the global arena, while successfully maintaining the Brand’s premier luxury position.

As SVP, Human Resources, Sue provided leadership and strategic direction to a human resources organization that is committed to fulfilling their “Employee Promise” through the execution of innovative and sustainable human resources approaches. The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company successfully tripled in size over the past decade while retaining a primary focus on achieving customer loyalty through the delivery of exceptional service. The 32,000 Ritz-Carlton employees around the world, the “Ladies and Gentlemen”, are empowered to create personalized memories for each guest.

Sue recently assumed the newly created role of Vice President, The Ritz-Carlton Community Footprints, based out of her Atlanta home office. In this role, Sue has responsibility for further developing The Ritz-Carlton Community Footprints program, focusing on global community relations, charity partnerships and environ-mental programs. The on-going goal of The Ritz-Carlton Community Footprints program is to create an example of community involvement that others will want to follow. Sue also has operational oversight of The Ritz-Carlton Community Footprints Charitable Fund, which benefits global charitable organizations.