Marriott International has appointed former group president of global development, design and operations services Tony Capuano as its new CEO. Capuano most recently had been one of two Marriott executives named in early February to take over operational responsibilities from the previous CEO, Arne Sorensen, when he announced he would be stepping back from duties temporarily while fighting pancreatic cancer. Sorenson died last week. The other executive was group president of consumer operations Stephanie Linnartz, whom Marriott now has named president. Both appointments are effective immediately.

“I am honored to be appointed to take the helm of Marriott, but it is a bittersweet moment,” Capuano said. “Arne was a mentor, a champion and a friend to each member of his close-knit leadership team. It is because of Arne’s efforts that we are prepared to move forward with this transition.”

Capuano, 55, joined Marriott in 1995 and stepped into his more recent position in 2009. In his role leading global development, the company grew its footprint from just over 3,200 properties in early 2009 to more than 7,600 by the end of 2020. 

Linnartz, 52, began her career with Marriott in 1997. She assumed her group president role in 2019, where she was responsible for the brand, marketing, sales, revenue management, customer engagement, digital, information technology, emerging businesses and loyalty strategies. She previously had served as global chief commercial officer from 2013 to 2019.