Vail Resorts, Inc. announced that Kirsten Lynch, the Company's chief marketing officer, will be appointed chief executive officer, effective November 1, 2021. At that time, Rob Katz, the Company's current chief executive officer, will be appointed executive chairperson of the board and remain fully active and engaged in Vail Resorts' key strategic decisions and priorities. Additionally, at that time, Ryan Bennett, currently vice president of marketing, lift revenue, will be named chief marketing officer of Vail Resorts. Lynch joined Vail Resorts in 2011 as chief marketing officer and previously held senior leadership positions at PepsiCo and Kraft Foods. Lynch is a member of the board of directors of Stitch Fix, Inc., and in 2019, she was named to Forbes' CMO Next list, recognized as one of the top 50 game-changing marketing leaders. Lynch grew up in Chicago, first skiing at the age of six at now Vail Resorts-owned Wilmot Mountain. She currently lives in Boulder, Colorado with her husband and two children.
Vail Resorts, Inc. is a network of destination and close-to-home ski resorts. The Company operates through three segments: Mountain, Lodging and Real Estate. The Mountain segment operates 41 destination mountain resorts and regional ski areas (collectively, Resorts). The segment includes ancillary services, primarily including ski school, dining and retail/rental operations. The Lodging segment owns and/or manages a collection of luxury hotels and condominiums under its RockResorts brand, other strategic lodging properties and various condominiums located in proximity to its North American mountain resorts, National Park Service (NPS) concessioner properties, including the Grand Teton Lodge Company (GTLC), which operates destination resorts in Grand Teton National Park, a Colorado resort ground transportation company and mountain resort golf courses. The Real Estate segment owns, develops and sells real estate in and around the Company resort communities.