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Laurence Geller is President, and CEO of Strategic Hotels & Resorts. Prior to founding Strategic Hotels & Resorts, Mr. Geller was Chairman and CEO of Geller & Co., a gaming, tourism and lodging advisory company he founded in 1989. Geller & Co. specialized in domestic and international hotel, corporate and real estate development, financing and structuring. Previously, Mr. Geller held positions as EVP and COO of Hyatt Development Corporation, SVP of Holiday Inn and Director of London's Grand Metropolitan Hotels. Mr. Geller is a former Vice Chairman of the Urban Land Institute's Commercial and Retail Council and immediate past Chairman of the Industry Real Estate Financing Advisory Council of the American Hotel and Motel Association (IREFAC). Mr. Geller serves on the Boards of NAREIT, Children's Memorial Hospital, and the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce. He also serves on the President's Council of the Midwest Region of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, is a member of the Real Estate Roundtable, the Chicago Olympic Committee, and the National Leadership Council for the American Jewish Committee. Mr. Geller is Co-Chairman of Trustees of the Churchill Centre and Ambassador for North America for The Hotel and Catering Institutional Management Association of the U.K. Mr. Geller is a graduate of Ealing Technical College's school of hotel management and catering. Mr. Geller has over 40 years of experience in the lodging industry and has received numerous awards for his service to the lodging industry. | 