Ed Fuller to Receive HSMAI’s Lifetime Achievement Award

February 14, 2018
Fuller,Ed-OrangeCounty-200

Ed Fuller, OCVA president

The Orange County Visitors Association (OCVA) announced that its president and CEO, Ed Fuller, will receive the Albert E. Koehl Lifetime Achievement Award from HSMAI, the hospitality industry’s leading advocacy organization.

Previously awarded to industry icons such as Bill Marriott, Executive Chairman Marriott Hotels, Chris Nassetta, CEO of Hilton Hotels and Roger Dow, CEO US Travel Association, the HSMAI Lifetime Achievement Awards honor individuals whose careers have significantly contributed to the betterment of the hospitality and travel profession.

A noted speaker, educator and bestselling author, Fuller is regarded as a leading authority on global business and hospitality leadership. He has previously been recognized with awards by the Hotel Investment Forum India, China Hotel Investment Summit, International Hotel Investment Forum Berlin, Marriott, and the United States Army where he received the Bronze Star and Army Commendation Medal.

In addition to his current role at OCVA, Fuller is the president and co-founder of Laguna Strategic Advisors, a consortium of independent hospitality business consultants. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of California Irvine, where he is a Trustee of the University’s Foundation and former Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Merage School of Business, and at California State Universities, where he serves as a member of the Chancellor’s Hospitality Management and Tourism Advisory Board and a director of the University’s San Marcos Foundation.

Fuller spent four decades in senior level roles at Marriott International, including chief marketing officer. As president and managing director of Marriott’s international lodging division, a position he held for 22 years, Fuller played a pivotal role in the company’s international growth into 72 countries, during which time the division achieved $8 billion in annual sales, developed comprehensive global crisis response initiatives, and implemented multiple international environmental, youth and educational programs. His efforts there resulted in the creation of 80,000 new jobs worldwide, the formation and operation of 555 hotels in 73 countries, $8 billion in annual sales, and the implementation of multiple environmental, philanthropic and educational initiatives.

Fuller’s colorful and real-world experiences are recounted in his top 20 best-selling business book, You Can’t Lead with Your Feet on the Desk, published globally in English, Chinese and Japanese by John Wiley & Co. in 2011. He is co-author of Red Hotel, scheduled to be published September 2018 by Select Books.

Orange County Visitors Association

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