Profile

Frits van Paasschen

President & CEO
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.

Frits van Paasschen, President and CEO, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. Since 2007, Frits van Paasschen has led Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, the world’s largest and most global operator of high-end hotels with well over 1,000 properties in 100 countries.  Its nine brands are: St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, W Hotels, Westin, Le Méridien, Sheraton, Four Points by Sheraton, Aloft and Element.   During his tenure, Starwood has transformed itself into a global company.  Today, nearly 60 percent of its existing hotels – and 80 percent of its planned openings – are outside of the United States.    

Having spent most of his career working for global lifestyle brands, van Paasschen previously served as President and CEO of Coors Brewing Company and ran Nike’s business in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. He also spent two years at Disney Consumer Products as a Vice President in Finance.  Van Paasschen began his career as a management consultant for Boston Consulting Group and then McKinsey & Company.  He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA in economics and biology from Amherst College.