Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: VAC) announced Lori Gustafson as the company's new executive vice president and chief brand and digital strategy officer. Ms. Gustafson is also a member of the company's Executive Committee. In her new role, Ms. Gustafson will be responsible for the enterprise's global brand footprint and driving growth and customer satisfaction through digital innovation.
"I am excited to welcome Lori to our Marriott Vacations Worldwide family," said Stephen P. Weisz, president and chief executive officer. "Her extensive knowledge and understanding of both our industry and the brand and digital space will enable us to make important strides across our brands and businesses as we expand our digital offerings as an organization to our Owners, Members, guests, and associates."
"It's an honor to be part of an organization that has such iconic brands and innovative offerings in the vacation ownership and exchange space," said Ms. Gustafson. "I'm looking forward to building on the company's incredible success and accelerating digital capabilities that will transform our customer experience."
In her most previous role, Ms. Gustafson served as senior vice president, global brands & digital for Wyndham Destinations where she was responsible for driving the global brand and digital marketing strategy including the vacation clubs' portfolio and the RCI exchange business since 2018. During her tenure at Wyndham Destinations, Ms. Gustafson successfully launched the new branding for both Wyndham Destinations and Panorama and was responsible for the brand transformation of the global portfolio of more than 10 brands.
Prior to her time at Wyndham Destinations, Ms. Gustafson held the role of corporate vice president of digital, eCommerce, and media at SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment where she was responsible for the company's impressive growth in brand recognition, CRM, and direct revenue. Additionally, Ms. Gustafson oversaw the media distribution strategy for all 12 of SeaWorld's U.S.-based theme parks and led the company's digital transformation and customer experience strategy, which culminated in multi-million dollar increases in eCommerce, the company's leading sales channel.
Earlier in her career, Ms. Gustafson provided her digital expertise to Darden Restaurants where she worked on enterprise initiatives for their portfolio of brands including Red Lobster, Olive Garden, The Capital Grille, LongHorn Steakhouse, Bahama Breeze, and Seasons 52.
A native of Orlando, Fla., Ms. Gustafson is a graduate of the University of Central Florida where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in interpersonal communications. She has also completed the Embracing Leadership Excellence Program from Rollins College.