Boutique Design - November 2019 - 85

JUST DO IT
Meet the minds who are mastering future-forward
leadership in the hospitality industry.
BY MARY SCOVIAK AND ORIANA LERNER

THE 13 WOMEN honored as Boutique Design's 2019 Women
Leaders come from an incredibly diverse range of industry fields,
sectors and backgrounds. They are designers, architects, owners,
operators, asset managers and suppliers. Some are corporate
success stories; others are start-up stars. Big-brand builders are
represented alongside solopreneurs. They work in different
markets and have different views on hot-button topics. So,
where's the common ground? They all see every aspect of their
job as "their table."
All six of the executives honored at BDwest in Los Angeles
last April and the seven who'll be in the spotlight this month at
Boutique Design New York (BDNY) have taken a lot of blue
roads to get to the top. And, they loved it. In interview after
interview, the businesspeople showcased here talked about the
benefits of making lateral-even tangential-career moves in
order to gain a 360-degree understanding of their discipline,
client needs and industry trends. That's how they gained the
range of skills needed to get to today's multidisciplinary C-suite.
Another shared trait is their passion for what they do-both
in terms of what they bring to the success of their projects and
products, but also what they share with their teams and their
communities. Best-in-class thinking is a mandate for their body
of work. It's also a hallmark of how they collaborate with their
coworkers or why they close their office early on Fridays to give
team members more work/life balance. They make time for giveback that requires showing up, not just shelling out, and putting
in sweat equity onsite when an adaptive reuse project is literally
crumbling around their ears. And they also make an investment
in themselves, whether that's a regular workout (with workmates
or solo), polishing up their photography skills or traveling for
pleasure (yes, they do try to unplug).
A piece of advice they all offered? Be a good collaborator and a
good listener. Whether designer, operator or supplier, today's

leader has to help the various contributors to a project align. That
doesn't mean standing down when fighting to protect your vision.
But it does require learning about and incorporating the client's
goals and that of the consumer. What they don't know, they'll find
out. They go to hotel brand immersions, study competitive hotel
metrics, talk with housekeepers about their design-related challenges-whatever it takes to deliver standout work.
Find out more about their forecast for design, advice on
management and innovative suggestions in the profiles on the
following pages.
BDwest 2019 Women Leaders
* Janet Van Arsdale, founder and president, JVA Art Group
* Gabrielle Bullock, principal and director of global diversity,
Perkins and Will
* Robin Kennedy, executive vice president, acquisitions and
development, Montage International
* Angela Landgraf, senior vice president, commercial sales,
RLabs, RLH
* Mary Alice Palmer, principal and design director of hospitality
interiors, HKS, Inc.
* Stephanie Smith, executive director, interior design, North &
Central America - Luxury Division, AccorHotels
BDNY 2019 Women Leaders:
* Allison Barry, principal, Kevin Barry Fine Art
* Laura Benner, senior vice president, hotel asset management,
Colony Capital, Inc.
* Marcia MacDonald, design director, Yabu Pushelberg
* Christine Magrann, chief operating officer, Makeready
* Laurie Miller, principal, Anderson/Miller, Ltd.
* Elaine Molinar, partner, Snøhetta
* Talene Staab, vice president & global head, Tru by Hilton

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Boutique Design - November 2019

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