SeaWorld Entertainment Appoints Chief Executive Officer
SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc. announces the appointment of Sergio (Serge) D. Rivera to the position of Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors, effective November 11, 2019. The company also announces that Neha Jogani Narang will be appointed to its Board of Directors, effective November 11, 2019. These appointments will increase the size of the Board of Directors to nine members.
Rivera previously served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of ILG, Inc.'s Vacation Ownership Segment, where he was responsible for development, sales, marketing and resort operations. Prior to ILG, Mr. Rivera was the President of the Americas for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide and was responsible for the performance and growth of Starwood's brands and its owned, managed and franchised businesses in North America, the Caribbean, Central and South America, and Polynesia.
"Serge has a strong track record as a leader and operator in the hospitality and leisure industries," says Scott Ross, Chairman of the Board of Directors of SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc. "Serge brings to SeaWorld exceptional leadership and management skills across sales, marketing, operations, development, finance and commercial management."
Ross continued, "The strategy we have in place for SeaWorld continues to work and we have made good progress. We look forward to Serge's leadership as we continue to improve and accelerate our execution through enhanced marketing and communications initiatives, more effective pricing strategies, cost and capital efficiencies and the introduction of new and compelling rides, attractions and events across our portfolio."
Marc Swanson, who assumed the position of Interim Chief Executive Officer in September 2019, will return to his former role as Chief Financial Officer. Elizabeth Castro Gulacsy, who has been serving as Interim Chief Financial Officer, will return to her former role of Chief Accounting Officer.
The company also announces that Neha Jogani Narang will be appointed to its Board of Directors. Narang most recently was the director of consumer and developer marketing for Facebook where she led marketing for several businesses from inception, including Mobile App Ads, Facebook Marketplace, Facebook Platform, Profile, Pages, Events, and more.
Ross says, "We are extremely excited to have Neha join our Board of Directors. Neha has a unique and highly valuable background in consumer marketing, brand, product, digital media, ecommerce and technology. She brings to our board experience and insights that will ensure our marketing and communication efforts are fully aligned with the current realities of our customer base."