CHICAGO—Marilyn Carlson Nelson will officially relinquish her role as chairman of the Carlson Companies in May. Diana Nelson, Marilyn Carlson Nelson’s eldest daughter, will assume the role.
“I’m not stepping down; I think I’m stepping up.” Marilyn Carlson Nelson told the 500 attendees at the opening general session of the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group’s 2013 full-service hotel conference. “I’m handing the chairman’s gavel over to Diana in May.”
The board of directors unanimously approved the succession plan in December.
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Marilyn Carlson Nelson, the outgoing chairman of the Carlson Companies, talks to attendees of Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group’s annual conference in Chicago on Tuesday. |
Marilyn Carlson Nelson, 73, has served as chairman since 1999 and will remain on the company’s board of directors for two years after stepping aside. Trudy Rautio will retain her role of president and CEO of Carlson Companies.
Diana Nelson, a Carlson board member for nine years, told attendees she plans to continue the tradition of the strong leadership that has been a hallmark of the company’s history.
“I’m one of the very few women in corporate America that had a mentor from birth,” the 50-year-old executive said.
She will be the third chairman of the board, preceded by her mother and her grandfather, Curt Carlson.
Marilyn Carlson Nelson told the audience at the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago that Diana, being the eldest of Curt Carlson’s eight grandchildren, benefitted from spending a lot of time with her grandfather.
“Diana learned about the company at Sunday brunches and years of family events,” Marilyn Carlson Nelson said. “She understands what it takes to compete in an increasing faster world.”
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Diana Nelson, the incoming chairman of the Carlson Companies, joins in a round of applause for her mother, Marilyn Carlson Nelson, during Tuesday’s general session at Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group’s annual conference. |
Diana Nelson told HotelNewsNow.com that watching the company’s hotel business grow from the acquisition of one hotel in Minneapolis the year before she was born to a global player makes serving as chairman an exciting proposition.
The hotel business “brings an increased interaction with the global economy,” she said. “It’s a very appealing business. There’s a big opportunity to continue to marry our leadership and resources to continue producing profitable and smart growth.”
Carlson Rezidor expects to open 77 new hotels with more than 13,000 rooms during 2013.
Minneapolis-based Carlson is a global hospitality and travel company. The Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group includes more than 1,300 hotels in operation and development, including the following brands: Radisson Blu, Radisson, Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson, Country Inns & Suites by Carlson and Hotel Missoni. Carlson Companies also has more than 900 T.G.I. Friday’s restaurants and a majority stake in Carlson Wagonlit Travel. The parent company operates in more than 150 countries and territories and its brands employ more than 170,000 people.
After graduating magna cum laude from Harvard College and receiving her MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, Diana Nelson’s career included stops at marketing and advertising firms, as well as American Express Travel Related Services. She and her husband, John Atwater, and their five children live in San Francisco.