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Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute Presents Arne M. Sorenson of Marriott International with the Legend in Leadership Award

September 23, 2020

Arne M. SorensonArne M. Sorenson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Marriott International, will be honored with The Legend in Leadership Award from Yale’s Chief Executive Leadership Institute on Wednesday, September 23, 2020, during the virtual Yale CEO Caucus.

The award will be presented to Mr. Sorenson by Alex Gorsky, Chairman & CEO, Johnson & Johnson; Virginia M. Rometty, Executive Chair, IBM Corporation; and Adam Aron, President & CEO, AMC Entertainment.

Caucus organizer Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, senior associate dean for leadership studies at the Yale School of Management, commented, “Arne is one of this nation’s most revered and respected global business titans. Even in the catastrophic conditions of the travel industry during the COVID-19 pandemic, he has displayed his character and competence through transparency, fairness, and sensitivity in necessary workforce reductions. Happily, he is leading Marriott’s rebound in China, already crossing 60% capacity.

Sorenson joined Marriott in 1996, serving as President and Chief Operating Officer and becoming Chief Executive Officer in 2012. He has led a vast expansion of the business, including the acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide in 2016. The company has expanded to more than 7,400 properties across 135 countries and territories with 30 brands. Sorenson is a bold, inspiring business voice, advancing environmental sustainability, promoting a safer more inclusive workplace, and embracing global cultures.”

The Legend in Leadership Award was created 25 years ago to honor current and former CEOs who serve as living legends to inspire chief executives across industries, sectors, and nations. Past recipients include: David Cote, Former Chairman & CEO, Honeywell International; Randall L. Stephenson, Chairman & CEO, AT&T Inc., Colin Powell, retired four-star U.S. Army General, chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff (1989–93), and 65th U.S. Secretary of State (2001–05); Virginia M. (Ginni) Rometty, chairman, president, and CEO, IBM Corporation; Janet Yellen, former chairman of the Board of Federal Reserves; Paul Polman, CEO, Unilever PLC; Mary T. Barra, chairman and chief executive of General Motors Company; Brian Moynihan, chairman and CEO, Bank of America; David M. Rubenstein, co-founder and co-executive chairman, The Carlyle Group; Leonard S. Schleifer, president and CEO, and George D. Yancopoulos, president and chief scientific officer, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals; Brian Roberts, CEO of Comcast; Marillyn Hewson CEO of Lockheed Martin; Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase; Ken Frazier, CEO of Merck; and FU Chengyu, former CEO, Sinopec. A full list of recipients can be found online.

The Caucus theme is,“Economic Rejuvenation: Safely Bringing Corporations and Communities Out of Their COVID Caves.” This invitation-only leaders’ conference, hosted by the Yale School of Management, is a gathering of distinguished global corporate leaders from across industries.

Caucus participants include: David Abney, Executive Chairman, UPS; Indra K. Nooyi, Former Chair & CEO, PepsiCo; Jim Umpleby, Chairman & CEO, Caterpillar; Stephen Schwarzman, Co-Founder, Chairman & CEO, Blackstone; Stefano Pessina, Executive Vice Chairman, Walgreens Boots Alliance; Terry J. Lundgren, Retired Chairman & CEO, Macy’s Inc.; Victoria J. Nuland, Assistant Secretary (2013-2017), U.S. Department of State; Kevin Sneader, Global Managing Partner, McKinsey & Company; Lisa Osborne Ross, U.S. Chief Operating Officer, Edelman; Maria Pope, President & Chief Executive Officer, Portland General Electric; Hugh T. Dugan, Special Assistant to the President, the National Security Council; Deanna Mulligan, President & Chief Executive Officer, Guardian Life Insurance Co. of America; Dina Powell McCormick, Member of the Management Committee, Goldman Sachs; Ynon Kreiz, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Mattel; Alex Gorsky, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Johnson & Johnson; Anthony Scaramucci, Founder & Co-Managing Partner, SkyBridge Capital; Arne M. Sorenson, President & Chief Executive Officer, Marriott International; Arvind Krishna, Chief Executive Officer, IBM Corporation; Virginia M. Rometty, Executive Chairman, IBM Corporation; W. Douglas Parker, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, American Airlines Group; Neal Froneman, Chief Executive Officer, Sibanye-Stillwater; Nicholas T. Pinchuk, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Snap-on International; Paul Polman, Co-Founder & Chair, Imagine, Retired CEO, Unilever PLC; James F. McCann, Founder & Chairman, 1-800-Flowers.com; A. Mushfiq Mobarak, Professor of Economics, YALE University; Alan B. Colberg, President & Chief Executive Officer, Assurant; Albert Bourla, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Pfizer; Ben Cohen, Co-Founder, Ben & Jerry’s Homemade; David J. Shulkin, 9th Secretary, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Mike Petters, President & Chief Executive Officer, Huntington Ingalls Industries; Jerry Greenfield, Co-Founder, Ben & Jerry’s Homemade; James R. Clapper, Director (2010-2017), U.S. National Intelligence; Jeffrey M. Solomon, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Cowen Inc.; John D. Negroponte, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State (2007-2009), U.S. Ambassador to the UN (2001-2004); Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO & National Director, Anti-Defamation League; Joseph J. Lhota, Executive Vice President & Vice Dean, NYU Langone Medical Center; Lloyd C. Blankfein, Senior Chairman, The Goldman Sachs Group; Mary T. Barra, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, General Motors Company; Rich Lesser, President & Chief Executive Officer, Boston Consulting Group; Richard H. Pildes, Professor of Constitutional Law, New York University; Tom Rogers, Executive Chairman, Engine Media; James H. Rosen, President & Chief Executive Officer, Artizan Biosciences; Jared Kushner, Senior Advisor to the President, The White House; John Visentin, Vice Chairman & CEO, Xerox Corporation; Peter R. Orszag, CEO, Financial Advisory, Lazard Freres & Co.; and Richard J. Kramer, Chairman, President & CEO, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company.

Yale CEO Caucus partners include AccuWeather, Edelman, EY, Galt & Company, Korn Ferry, PepsiCo, UPS, and Wilson Sonsini.

The Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute was founded in 1989 to provide original research on top leadership and lively, current educational forums through peer-driven learning for accomplished leaders across a range of sectors. For more information, visit http://celi.som.yale.edu/.