Monday, August 9th | 11:40am - 12:40pm

With a brutal Recession giving way to a fragile recovery, what are the prospects for the travel business in 2011?  How will business models evolve, can profitability be assured throughout the travel supply chain, and what innovations will provide enduring value?  Get a glimpse in to the future of the industry from the CEOs of major travel suppliers as they address these questions and more in a lively, no holds barred exchange!

Gary Kelly
Chairman of the Board, President, and CEO
Southwest Airlines

Gary Kelly serves as the Chairman of the Board, President, and Chief Executive Officer at Southwest Airlines.  A 23-year Southwest veteran who became CFO in 1989, Gary has worked closely with Southwest's legendary Cofounder and Chairman Emeritus Herb Kelleher and President Emeritus Colleen Barrett to build the nation's largest airline in terms of passengers—and the undisputed Low-Fare Leader. 

Gary began his career at Southwest Airlines as Controller, moving up to Chief Financial Officer and Vice President Finance, then Executive Vice President and CFO, before being promoted to CEO and Vice Chairman in July 2004.  Gary assumed the role of Chairman in May 2008 and President in July 2008.  Prior to joining Southwest Airlines in 1986, Gary was a CPA for Arthur Young & Company in Dallas and Controller for Systems Center, Inc.

Southwest Airlines is celebrating 37 years of consecutive profitability and was named #1 in Customer Satisfaction by the Department of Transportation for the year 2009.  For the 13th year in a row, Fortune magazine listed Southwest Airlines among the world’s most admired corporations.  Gary has received awards and recognitions, including being named one of Business Travel News’ 25 Most Influential Executives of 2004; named a finalist for Texan of the Year by the Dallas Morning News editors for the year 2005; honored with the 4th Annual Friends of Texas Public Schools Friend of the Year Award for 2008; named one of the best CEOs in America for 2008, 2009, and 2010 by Institutional Investor magazine; and most recently voted Dallas CEO of the Year by both the Dallas Morning News’ “Top 100 Places to Work” and D CEO magazine.

Gary received a B.B.A. in Accounting from the University of Texas at Austin and is a Certified Public Accountant.  He is a member of the Texas Society of CPAs; chairs the McCombs School Advisory Council at the University of Texas at Austin; and was most recently named to the Lincoln National Corporation’s Board of Directors.

Frits van Paasschen

President and Chief Executive Officer

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.

Frits van Paasschen is President and Chief Executive Officer of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., a major hotel a major lodging company and the world’s largest luxury hotel operator.  Mr. van Paasschen joined the company in 2007 and oversees all aspects of operations and performance for Starwood.  With about 1000 properties in 100 countries, Starwood has a portfolio nine distinctive and compelling brands; St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, W Hotels, Westin, Sheraton, Four Points by Sheraton, Le Méridien, aloft and Element.  In addition to hotels, Starwood Vacation Ownership is a premier operator of high quality timeshare ownership resorts.

In the past three years, Starwood has opened a record 250 hotels around the world.  Looking forward, it boasts a pipeline of over 300 hotels, more than 70 percent of which are located outside of the United States.  In addition to increasing the global footprint of its well established brands, Starwood also launched its two newest brands, aloft and Element, during Mr. van Paasschen’s tenure.   The W brand is expanding beyond its US base, doubling its footprint between 2007 and 2012.  Starwood’s largest brand, Sheraton, is putting the final touches on a $6B revitalization program aimed at raising its consistency and quality around the world.

Mr. van Paasschen, 49, has more than 20 years of experience with consumer-focused, global lifestyle brands and extensive international experience.  Prior to joining Starwood, he served as President and CEO of Coors Brewing Company where he successfully turned around market share and profitability by successfully marketing and selling an array of iconic brands.

Before joining Coors, Mr. van Paasschen spent seven years at Nike, Inc. in a number of different global executive positions, ultimately overseeing Nike’s business in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.  He also served as chairman and Nike representative to the European-American Industrial Council from 2001-2004.   Prior to his tenure at Nike, Mr. van Paasschen spent two years as Vice President, Finance and Planning at Disney Consumer Products.  Earlier in his career, he was a management consultant for eight years at McKinsey & Company and the Boston Consulting Group. Mr. van Paasschen formerly served as a director on the Boards of Jones Apparel Group Inc. and Oakley Inc.  He speaks five languages. 

He holds a Masters of Business Administration from Harvard Business School and a bachelor’s degree in economics and biology from Amherst College.  An avid and accomplished runner, Mr. van Paasschen has completed 12 marathons including New York, London and Boston, as well as extreme running races including the RoPa-run Relay Race, Europe’s longest running relay, and the Pikes Peak Ascent, 13.4 miles and 6,000 vertical feet.  Mr. van Paasschen is based in Starwood’s global headquarters in White Plains, NY, and he and his family reside in Connecticut. 

Gordon Wilson
Deputy CEO, Travelport
President & CEO, Travelport GDS

Gordon Wilson has been Travelport’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer since November 2009 and President and Chief Executive Officer of the Group’s GDS business since January 2007.