Biography
Gilda Perez-Alvarado is group chief strategy officer of Accor SA, based in Paris, where she leads global strategy, owner relations and strategic partnerships. She also serves as chief executive officer of Orient Express, the ultra-luxury hospitality brand jointly owned by Accor and LVMH. Established in 1883, Orient Express is a heritage brand spanning hotels, trains and sailing yachts.
Before joining Accor, Perez-Alvarado served as global chief executive officer of JLL Hotels & Hospitality, a division of JLL. In this role, she oversaw investment sales, debt and equity placement, strategic advisory and asset management. She also led the firm’s Global Hotel Desk, a cross-border investment team spanning the Middle East, Asia-Pacific, the Americas and Europe.
Perez-Alvarado serves on the board of directors of Blackstone Mortgage Trust and the board of trustees of Cornell University. She is also a member of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, the Dean’s Advisory Board for the Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration and the World Travel & Tourism Council.
She earned an MBA from IE Business School in Madrid and a Bachelor of Science in hotel administration from Cornell University, where she graduated with honors.