As a part of a planned leadership succession, the Company also announced that James O’Donnell, executive vice president of Vail Resorts’ hospitality, retail and real estate businesses, will become president of the mountain division, leading operations for the Company’s 37 resorts as well as its real estate business. Greg Sullivan, chief operating officer of Vail Resorts Retail, will succeed O’Donnell as senior vice president overseeing both retail and hospitality operations for the Company. Vail Resorts also announced that Bill Rock, senior vice president of the mountain division, has been promoted to executive vice president of mountain operations. Rock will retain his direct leadership accountability for the Rocky Mountain region and have expanded responsibilities for mountain operations across the division. All leadership changes will go into effect June 7, 2021 and the Company plans to backfill Sullivan’s role, and any other role that opens as a part of these changes, with internal talent.
Campbell was appointed president of Vail Resorts’ mountain division in 2015 and has since overseen the integration and acquisition of 26 resorts. She joined the Company in 1999 as director of ski school at Breckenridge Ski Resort. Between 2006 and 2015, Campbell was chief operating officer first at Keystone Resort and then at Breckenridge. Prior to joining Vail Resorts, she held leadership positions at Grand Targhee Resort and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, where she started her career in 1985 as a ski instructor.
“Pat has had a profound impact on the success of our company during a period of massive growth, driving our efforts to create an integrated network of world-class resorts and an unrivaled guest and employee experience across all of our mountains,” said Rob Katz, chairman and chief executive officer of Vail Resorts. “Perhaps even more transformative than her track record of operational excellence has been Pat’s work to build an incredible pipeline of talent within the mountain division. During her time in role, the Company appointed nearly 50 new GMs and COOs at our resorts, with all of those appointments coming from internal promotions, an achievement unrivaled in the industry. Pat also made tremendous strides to advance women in a male-dominated ski industry through her own mentorship and by spearheading groundbreaking development programs for female leaders. Today we have nine women running resorts in our Company, up from zero before Pat was appointed COO of Keystone in 2006. Pat is a trailblazer in the truest form and while I will miss her contributions as president of the mountain division, I look forward to the impact she will continue to have in building a diverse leadership pipeline for our company’s future.”
O’Donnell was appointed executive vice president of hospitality, retail and real estate in 2016. He joined the Company in 2002 and has held numerous leadership positions including chief operating officer of Vail Resorts Hospitality and chief financial officer for the hospitality division. Prior to joining Vail Resorts, O’Donnell specialized in the hospitality industry for Arthur Andersen.
“In his nearly 20 years at Vail Resorts, James has consistently taken on new responsibility and driven measurable success in guest service, employee engagement and financial performance with each new business he led,” said Katz. “He has a deep understanding of operations, finance and our unique mountain communities as well as a proven track record of developing strong leaders in his organization. I am thrilled to have James step into the role as president of our mountain division as we continue to re-imagine the mountain experience. I believe this move demonstrates our deep bench of leadership talent that can move cross-functionally as our company continues to grow.”
