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The countdown has started for the 2024 Caribbean Media Exchange (CMEx) Leadership Awards and Fundraiser, which will take place on Sunday, December 8, 2024, at Loews Coral Gables Hotel in Miami.
Today, we spotlight two of the event’s honorees.
Simón Suárez, Vice President, Grupo Puntacana
Simón Suárez has served as Vice President of Grupo Puntacana since 2014. A 50-year tourism industry veteran, he is recognized as one of the leaders of tourism in the Caribbean region, always at the forefront of developing the Dominican product. Prior to Grupo Puntacana, he spent seven years as Chief Development Representative at Hilton Worldwide for Central America and the Caribbean. Before Hilton, he was Executive Vice president of Coral Hotels and Resorts, a Dominican development company with all-inclusive leisure hotels, a Hilton-branded business hotel, and real estate ventures.
Before his tenure at Coral, Suárez was President of Unión Hotelera Dominicana, an investment company that developed several projects, including a four-star resort property on the North Coast of the Dominican Republic. From 1988 to 1997, he was President of Occidental Hotels’ local operating company, after holding senior positions within the banking and tourism industries, involved in financing of many hotel projects including the pioneering Playa Dorada Project in Puerto Plata.
Former president of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), he has also served for years on the board of the Hotel and Tourism Association of the Dominican Republic (ASONAHORES), serving as President for the 2014-2016 term. In 2017, he was recognized as Caribbean Hotelier of the Year by the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association.
Marie McKenzie, Sr. Vice President of Government & Destination Affairs, Carnival Corporation & plc
Marie McKenzie has over 28 years of experience in the cruise industry, starting her career with Carnival Corporation & plc in 1996. In December 2016, she was appointed Sr. Vice President of Government and Destination Affairs, representing eight of Carnival’s leading brands. In this role, McKenzie leads strategic engagement efforts in the Caribbean, overseeing operations in over 27 countries and 57 ports visited by up to 10 million annual cruise guests. Her role is key in supporting the company’s strategic infrastructure and operational development efforts throughout the Caribbean.
Previously, as Vice President of Global Destinations, Services & Sourcing, she managed sourcing and relationships with tour operators and port services in over 720 ports worldwide. McKenzie also served as Vice President of Global Financial Planning and Analysis. It was there she became integral to interpreting and engaging all eight leading cruise brands in preparing Carnival’s executive team for its quarterly earnings guidance and position on the overall strategy and financial direction of the company. She also led the process of capturing, consolidating, and analyzing data, as well as leading the corporation’s annual budget and planning process, which is key to the execution of the company’s long-term strategy.
McKenzie began her career in 1992 with Arthur Andersen LLP in Washington, DC. She is originally from Jamaica, and a graduate of Howard University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree cum laude in accounting. She also attended Florida International University where she earned a master’s degree cum laude in international business.
The 2024 CMEx Leadership Awards, which promises to be an extraordinary celebration of the achievements of Caribbean leaders in travel, tourism and communications, is powered by The Islands of The Bahamas (Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation).
The event is also being supported by:
- Anse Chastanet and Jade Mountain, St. Lucia
- Blue Horizons Garden Resort, Grenada
- Brion City Hotel, BW Signature Collection, Curaçao
- Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort, Aruba
- Calabash Cove Resort & Spa, St. Lucia
- Comfort Suites Paradise Island, Bahamas
- Fort Young Hotel and Dive Resort, Dominica
- Gallows Point Resort, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands
- Golden Rock Dive & Nature Resort, St. Eustatius
- Ladera Resort, St. Lucia
- Little Good Harbour & The Atlantis Historic Inn, Barbados
- Montpelier Plantation & Beach, Nevis
- Mount Cinnamon Hotel & Beach Club, Grenada
- Park Hyatt St. Kitts Christophe Harbour, St. Kitts
- Radisson Aquatica Resort Barbados, Barbados
- The Buccaneer Beach & Golf Resort, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
- The Courtleigh Hotel & Suites, Jamaica
- The Hamilton Beach Villas & Spa, Nevis
- The Hartling Group, Turks and Caicos
- The Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, Jamaica
- Tropical Shipping
- Wyndham Grand Barbados, Sam Lord’s Castle All-Inclusive Resort
- Marketplace Excellence Corporation
For tickets and information, visit CMExmedia.org.
PHOTO CAPTION: Simón Suárez, Vice President, Grupo Puntacana (left) and Marie McKenzie, Sr. Vice President of Government & Destination Affairs, Carnival Corporation & plc will be honored in Miami next month.
