Sue Stephenson, a hotel 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 a year in annual revenues and currently has 70 properties across the United States, Caribbean, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
From 2001 to 2006, Sue was the Senior Vice President, Human Resources. In this role, she worked closely with the President & Chief Operating Officer and members of the Corporate Executive Committee as the company undertook a global expansion. Sue provided leadership and strategic direction to a human resources organization that is committed to the delivery of service excellence through innovative and sustainable human resources approaches.
In 2006, Sue assumed the leadership of The Ritz-Carlton social responsibility program, Community Footprints. Reporting to the President and Chief Operating Officer, Sue is charged with expanding the company’s global efforts in hunger and poverty relief, child welfare and environmental conservation through a series of multi-faceted initiatives. In 2007, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company donated over $7.40 million in products, facilities and services to support local community organizations and employees participated in more than 40,000 hours of volunteer service.
Most recently, Sue has been leading the development of a companywide voluntourism effort. On April 1, 2008, “Give Back Getaways” was launched enabling guests at the 70 Ritz-Carlton Hotels and Resorts around the world to participate in a volunteer experience in the local community where they are vacationing. The half-day programs are unique to each destination and offer guests a variety of opportunities including preparing and distributing food to homeless families, helping to protect endangered species of wildlife, renovating facilities at orphanages, and building homes with Habitat for Humanity. Full details of the programs are available on http://www.givebackgetaways.com/.