Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz will step aside November 1st and Kirsten Lynch, the Company’s chief marketing officer for the last decade, will be appointed chief executive officer and elected to the company’s board of directors. KPCW’s Leslie Thatcher has more.
Katz has served as CEO since 2006 and will take a role as executive chairperson of the board.
Lynch joined Vail Resorts in 2011 as chief marketing officer and previously held senior leadership positions at PepsiCo and Kraft Foods. 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, and started skiing at age 6 at Wilmot Mountain, which is now owed by Vail Resorts. She lives in Boulder, Colorado with her husband and two children.
In a prepared statement, Lynch said she’s honored by the appointment and looks forward to making the company more diverse, inclusive, and accessible.
Additionally, this fall, Ryan Bennett, who currently serves as vice president of marketing and lift revenue, will be named chief marketing officer of Vail Resorts, replacing Lynch.
Katz was appointed to the Vail Resorts board of directors in 1996 and named chief executive officer in 2006. As executive chairperson, he will remain a Vail Resorts employee and director, advising both Lynch and the board on long-term strategy and critical priorities. While he is stepping down from the day-to-day operations, he will be actively engaged in key strategic projects and decisions.