Keith Barr '92

Biography

College Leadership Council Member, Membership Term: 2023-2026
School Represented: Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration

Keith Barr served as chief executive officer of IHG®, stepping down in June 2023. In this role, Barr led the company’s strategy for high-quality growth and value creation for hotel owners, operators and shareholders. His approach focused on strengthening a diverse portfolio of brands, expanding scale in key markets, building lifetime guest relationships and driving highly profitable revenue. Barr currently serves as an advisor to IHG.

Barr has more than 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry, beginning his career in hotel operations. He has been a member of IHG’s executive committee since April 2011 and served as chief commercial officer for four years before being appointed CEO. Prior to that, Barr spent four years as CEO of IHG’s Greater China business, where he helped deliver strong results and established a foundation for growth in a key market.

Since joining IHG in 2000, Barr has held senior leadership roles across the Americas and the former Asia, Middle East and Africa regions. He previously served as vice president of operations for midscale brands in North America, vice president of operations for the Holiday Inn brand in North America and chief operating officer for Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific.

Before joining IHG, Barr held senior positions at Bristol Hotels & Resorts, which was acquired by IHG in 2000. He is a nonexecutive director of Yum! Brands and serves on the board of WiHTL (Women in Hospitality, Travel & Leisure). Barr is a graduate of the School of Hotel Administration (now the Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration) at Cornell University and serves on the Dean’s Advisory Board.