Industry professionals around the world are moving up and moving into new positions that promise to enhance the travel experience for meeting and incentive groups.
Take a look at some history-making women in the hospitality and travel industries as they spring forward in 2025.
Brand USA, the destination marketing organization for the United States, recently announced the appointment of Leah Chandler, CDME as its new Chief Marketing Officer. With over 20 years of experience in branding, advertising and destination marketing within the travel and tourism industry, Chandler will lead Brand USA’s global marketing strategy. She will spearhead efforts to inspire international travel to the United States through innovative campaigns and by elevating the country’s presence as a premier global destination.
Before joining Brand USA, Chandler served as the Chief Marketing Officer of Discover Puerto Rico, where she re-positioned the brand, laying the foundation for four years of record-breaking tourism growth. Under her leadership, Discover Puerto Rico launched its most successful marketing campaign, “Live Boricua,” which celebrates the island’s vibrant culture.
Rosewood Little Dix Bay has a new Managing Director, Katya Herting, who brings with her more than two decades of experience in luxury hospitality, holding leadership roles at prestigious properties across Asia, Europe, and South America. Most recently, she served as General Manager at Raffles Bali, where she successfully guided the hotel’s opening and established a strong brand presence through cultural immersion and operational excellence.
Prior to that, Herting held senior leadership positions at Swissôtel The Stamford and Fairmont Singapore, where she oversaw large-scale operations and drove significant advancements in guest experience and service innovation.
Four Seasons Yachts just appointed Kate McCue as the inaugural Captain of Four Seasons l, the first ultra-luxury yacht in the highly anticipated fleet. A graduate of the California Maritime Academy, Captain McCue brings nearly three decades of maritime expertise, making history in 2015 as the first American female captain of a mega-ton cruise ship.
Prior to joining Four Seasons, she spent nearly a decade with Celebrity Cruises, where she most recently captained the Celebrity Beyond and played a key role in increasing female representation on ship bridges to more than 30 percent across the fleet. She has also sailed with RCI and Disney Cruise Line.
Julia Selyukova has been appointed General Manager at Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace Budapest, a Forbes Five-Star property and architectural landmark. With nearly two decades of hospitality leadership and global expertise, she is set to lead one of Central Europe’s most iconic hotels into its next chapter, and is committed to preserving and elevating its legacy of grandeur.
A strategic and guest-focused leader, Julia has spent the last decade with Four Seasons, elevating luxury hospitality across world-class properties. She joined the former Four Seasons Hotel Moscow in 2014 as Director of Sales before transitioning to Director of Marketing in early 2016 and Hotel Manager in 2018, leading Four Seasons Hotel Moscow to Russia’s first-ever Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Award.
Jessica Carlson has joined the Arizona Biltmore, LXR Hotels & Resorts as Resort Manager. She began her hospitality career with Caesars Entertainment in 2007, and seven years later, left the gaming giant as Director of Food and Beverage Operations. Having joined Pyramid Global Hospitality in 2013, she was able to gain experience in Clearwater Beach Marriott Suites on Sand Key, The Phelps Hotel a Residence Inn by Marriott and finally, open up the AC Hotel Cincinnati at the Banks. Most recently she served as the Director of Retail Food Services at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
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