Barry S. Sternlicht

Biographical Information
"Barry S. Sternlicht is Chairman and CEO of the Sponsor and of Starwood Capital Group, a private investment firm he formed in 1991. Mr. Sternlicht is Chairman of the Board of Société du Louvre, as well as Baccarat... From 1995 through 2005, Mr. Sternlicht was Chairman and CEO of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., a company he founded in 1995. Mr. Sternlicht created and launched W Hotels... One of the youngest leaders in the hotel and leisure industry today, Mr. Sternlicht places a strong emphasis on his humanitarian efforts. Under his leadership, Starwood Hotels became a National Partner of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Walk to Cure Diabetes Program, mobilizing associate volunteer power across U.S. communities. Mr. Sternlicht’s commitment and fundraising efforts led to prestigious national honors, such as JDRF’s Man of the Year, JDRF’s Living and Giving Award and JDRF’s Chairman’s Award. He also focused Starwood Hotels’ efforts to support numerous causes, such as City Cares of America, Habitat for Humanity, Junior Achievement, Ronald McDonald House, UNICEF and Kids in Crisis, among others. "Mr. Sternlicht is a Trustee of Brown University. He serves on the Board of Directors of National Golf, The Estée Lauder Companies, the National Advisory Board of JPMorgan Chase and the Advisory Board of Eurohypo Bank. He also serves on the boards of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s National Leadership Advocacy Program, Kids in Crisis, The Harvard Club, the Business Committee for the Arts and the Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding. He is a member of the Committee to Encourage Corporate Philanthropy, the Presidential Tourism & Travel Advisory Board, the Young Presidents Organization, the World Travel & Tourism Council and the Urban Land Institute. Mr. Sternlicht received his BA, magna cum laude, with honors from Brown University. He later earned an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School."