John Sharpe is the Company's Chairman of the Board of Directors. Most recently, Mr. Sharpe served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, from which he retired in 1999 after 23 years of service. During his tenure at Four Seasons, the world's largest operator of luxury hotels, Mr. Sharpe directed worldwide hotel operations, marketing and human resources, and helped create Four Seasons' renowned reputation for the highest level of service in the worldwide hospitality industry. In 1999, Mr. Sharpe was bestowed with the "Corporate Hotelier of the World" award by Hotels Magazine, Inc. Mr. Sharpe also received the "Silver Plate" award from the International Food Manufacturers Association, and the "Gold Award" from the Ontario Hostelry Institute. Mr. Sharpe graduated with a B.S. in hotel administration from Cornell University and is currently a Trustee Emeritus of the Culinary Institute of America, and a former chair of the Industry Advisory Council at the Cornell Hotel School. Mr. Sharpe previously served as executive-in-residence, School of Hotel Administration, Cornell University; chair, board of governors, Ryerson Polytechnic University, Toronto, Canada, and co-chair, American Hotel Foundation, Washington, D.C. Mr. Sharpe has served as a director of the Company since August 2003 and became Chairman of the Board in May 2005.
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