Speaker: Mr. Matthew Upchurch, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer - Nolan School of Hotel Administration<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Speaker: Mr. Matthew Upchurch, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This chairman and CEO built a global hospitality brand through strategic vision.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/business.cornell.edu\/nolan\/2019\/06\/24\/speaker-mr-matthew-upchurch-chairman-and-chief-executive-officer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Nolan School of Hotel Administration\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-06-24T21:45:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-07T22:37:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/business.cornell.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/08\/Matthew-Upchurch-FOR-WEB-2-16.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"133\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"migrated\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"migrated\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/business.cornell.edu\\\/nolan\\\/2019\\\/06\\\/24\\\/speaker-mr-matthew-upchurch-chairman-and-chief-executive-officer\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/business.cornell.edu\\\/nolan\\\/2019\\\/06\\\/24\\\/speaker-mr-matthew-upchurch-chairman-and-chief-executive-officer\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"migrated\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/business.cornell.edu\\\/nolan\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/0ba1cd4d0b2dda2771c452ed59736e6b\"},\"headline\":\"Speaker: Mr. Matthew Upchurch, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-06-24T21:45:30+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-07T22:37:38+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/business.cornell.edu\\\/nolan\\\/2019\\\/06\\\/24\\\/speaker-mr-matthew-upchurch-chairman-and-chief-executive-officer\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":256,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/business.cornell.edu\\\/nolan\\\/2019\\\/06\\\/24\\\/speaker-mr-matthew-upchurch-chairman-and-chief-executive-officer\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/business.cornell.edu\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Matthew-Upchurch-FOR-WEB-2-16.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Speakers\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Dean's Distinguished Lecture Series\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/business.cornell.edu\\\/nolan\\\/2019\\\/06\\\/24\\\/speaker-mr-matthew-upchurch-chairman-and-chief-executive-officer\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/business.cornell.edu\\\/nolan\\\/2019\\\/06\\\/24\\\/speaker-mr-matthew-upchurch-chairman-and-chief-executive-officer\\\/\",\"name\":\"Speaker: Mr. Matthew Upchurch, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer - 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{"id":2057,"date":"2019-06-24T17:45:30","date_gmt":"2019-06-24T21:45:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/business.cornell.edu\/nolan\/2019\/06\/24\/speaker-mr-matthew-upchurch-chairman-and-chief-executive-officer\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T18:37:38","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:37:38","slug":"speaker-mr-matthew-upchurch-chairman-and-chief-executive-officer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/business.cornell.edu\/nolan\/2019\/06\/24\/speaker-mr-matthew-upchurch-chairman-and-chief-executive-officer\/","title":{"rendered":"Speaker: Mr. Matthew Upchurch, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n<\/head>

Company: Virtuoso\n
Time: – \n
Where: Statler Auditorium<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lecture video<\/a>\n
Virtuoso is a global network of travel advisors, suppliers, and others connected to the travel and leisure industry. This by-invitation-only organization comprises over 380 agencies with more than 11,400 elite travel specialists in 30 countries throughout North America, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa, and the Middle East, as well as over 1,700 of the world’s best travel providers and premier destinations. The network’s member agencies generate more than $15 billion annually in travel sales, making the group the most powerful in the luxury travel segment. Virtuoso’s relationships with the finest travel companies provide the network’s affluent clientele with exclusive amenities, rare experiences, and privileged access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As CEO of the industry’s leading luxury travel network, Matthew Upchurch oversees the company’s marketing, sales, and operational systems with a focus on keeping the organization ahead of the pack and the trends. He was the first recipient of the Luxury Travel Expo’s “Leaders in Luxury” Award and was named among the 25 Most Influential Executives in the Travel Industry by Leisure Travel News. Travel Agent Magazine labeled him one of its 100 Rising Stars in 1997 and Person of the Year (Retailer) in 1998. He has served as chairman of the Institute of Certified Travel Agents, is a lifetime member of the American Society of Travel Agents, and is a member of the Corporate Advisory Council of Cunard Line, Ltd., the Advisory Board of Ritz-Carlton Hotels & Resorts and Seabourn Cruise Line.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"