Frits van Paasschen is President and Chief Executive Officer of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world.  Mr. van Paasschen joined the company in 2007 and oversees all aspects of operations and performance for Starwood which includes 960 properties in 97 countries, and nine distinctive and compelling brands including St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, W Hotels, Westin, Sheraton, Four Points by Sheraton, Le Méridien, aloft and Element, and Starwood Vacation Ownership, a premier operator of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts.

Mr. van Paasschen, who has more than 20 years of experience with consumer-focused, global lifestyle brands and extensive international experience, was selected to lead the hotel giant as the company entered a period of prolific growth, with a record pipeline of nearly 500 hotels, more than half of which are located outside of the United States.  In addition to increasing the global footprint of its well established brands, Starwood also launched its two newest brands, aloft and Element, during Mr. van Paasschen’s tenure. 

Prior to joining Starwood, Mr. van Paasschen, 48, served as President and CEO of Coors Brewing Company where he increased sales, volumes and profits, while successfully marketing an array of distinct brands.

Before joining Coors in 2005, Mr. van Paasschen spent seven years at Nike, Inc. in a number of different global executive positions, ultimately overseeing Nike’s business in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.  He also served as chairman and Nike representative to the European-American Industrial Council from 2001-2004.   Prior to his tenure at Nike, Mr. van Paasschen spent two years as Vice President, Finance and Planning at Disney Consumer Products and earlier in his career was a management consultant for eight years at McKinsey & Company and the Boston Consulting Group. Mr. van Paasschen formerly served as a director on the Boards of Jones Apparel Group Inc. and Oakley Inc. 

He holds a Masters of Business Administration from Harvard Business School and a bachelor’s degree in economics and biology from Amherst College.   An avid and accomplished runner, Mr. van Paasschen has completed 12 marathons including New York, London and Boston, as well as extreme running races including the RoParun Relay Race, Europe’s longest running relay, and the Pikes Peak Ascent, 13.4 miles and 6,000 vertical feet.  Mr. van Paasschen is based in Starwood’s global headquarters in White Plains, NY and he and his family reside in Connecticut.