Executive Team
Alejandro Zozaya
As Executive Chairman of Apple Leisure Group, Alejandro Zozaya leverages 30 years of industry insight to optimize global synergies between the Group’s fourteen leading travel and hospitality brands.
Through the unparalleled distribution of Apple Vacations®, BeachBound®, Funway Holidays®, Travel Impressions®, CheapCaribbean.com®, Blue Sky Tours®, Southwest Vacations®, Funjet Vacations®, and United Vacations®, ALG serves more than 3.2 million guests annually—delivering more North American leisure travelers to Mexico and the Caribbean than any other hospitality company in the world, and positioning itself as the # 1 vertically integrated provider of charter flights.
Amstar DMC is the largest destination management company in Mexico, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic. For over 25 years, Amstar has expertly served group, business and leisure travelers with personalized tours, private excursions and deluxe airport transfers.
AMResorts® and its popular guest loyalty program, Unlimited Vacation Club®, spearhead ALG’s rapidly expanding resort product portfolio. Since 2001, AMResorts has elevated the all-inclusive resort experience with an awarded collection of luxury brands: Zoëtry® Wellness & Spa Resorts, Secrets®, Breathless®, Dreams®, Now®, Reflect®, Sunscape® Resorts & Spas, and Alua® Hotels & Resorts. AMResorts closed 2017 with the largest pipeline of all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean; by the end of 2018’s first semester, announced a development pipeline of 10,000 rooms, equivalent to 50% of their current inventory; and closed the year with an impressive expansion to Europe, adding more than 4,000 rooms and 16 hotels to its portfolio on that region. This follows multiple years of double-digit growth for the company, a trend ALG plans to continue in 2019 as it is poised to expand its portfolio of resort management contracts by 36 percent, if we only consider the projects secured to-date.
Prior to establishing AMResorts in 2001, Alex held senior positions at Fiesta Americana Hotels & Resorts, where he directed all commercial activities for Latin America's largest hotel consortium.
Alex's outstanding contributions to international hotel business have garnered numerous industry accolades, including recognition as “Hotelier of the Year” by Alta Hoteleria, for which he received the distinguished Diamante Award; CNN Expansion magazine ranked Alex among the“100 Most Important and Influential Business People in Mexico”. In February 2018, Alex was named Vice President of the Mexican National Council of Tourism Companies (CNET for its acronym in Spanish), main organism representing the tourism private sector in the country. Additionally, in August 2018, Alex joined the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Executive Committee as Vice Chairman for Latin America and the Caribbean. The council provides valuable expertise and services to the travel and tourism sector while actively shaping the future of the industry in those regions. On August 29, 2019, after seven years as CEO, and 20 participating in the many stages of the company’s trajectory, Alex took over the position of Executive Chairman of Apple Leisure Group, where he continues to play a strategic role in the company’s expansion.
Alejandro Reynal
Alejandro Reynal boasts a long-standing international professional career in business services, telecommunications, and consumer goods sectors, having worked in the United States, Europe, and Latin America.
Mr. Reynal has a proven track record and thrives on transforming business organizations, leading change to impact performance and culture by defining and aligning a company’s strategy and delivering results through disciplined execution.
Previously he was CEO of Atento, a global customer relationship management and business process outsourcing services company operating in 13 countries and employing over 150,000. When he was appointed Atento´s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in 2011, the company was part of Telefonica. Alejandro led the company’s strategic transition and integration into Bain Capital’s private equity portfolio in 2012, and its initial public listing (IPO) in the New York Stock Exchange in 2014.
During his tenure as CEO, Atento completed a business transformation from being a call center subsidiary of Telefonica to become a leading provider of customer experience solutions. He also led Atento’s cultural transformation, successfully being recognized as one of the “25 World's Best Multinational Workplaces” by Great Place to Work® in five different years.
Prior to his CEO role at Atento, Mr. Reynal held the positions of Corporate Strategy Director at Telefonica and a series of other corporate and business senior leadership positions in Atento. Additionally, he held management positions in The Coca-Cola Company and The Gap, Inc.
Alejandro Reynal holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.
Javier Coll
Javier Coll is Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of Apple Leisure Group®, Co-founder of the group’s luxury resort brand management company, AMResorts®, and its elite benefits program, Unlimited Vacation Club® (UVC). Javier has played a pivotal role in the development of both businesses and is also responsible for ALG business operations in Europe.
The multidisciplinary executive applies more than 25 years of international hospitality operations and finance experience to skillfully direct the group’s growth, development, mergers and acquisitions. Under Javier’s leadership, AMResorts has become the largest Resort Brand Management company in Mexico and the Caribbean.
Since the inception of AMResorts in 2001 and prior to his appointment as Executive Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer of Apple Leisure Group, Javier held diverse leadership roles in AMResorts, including Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer, and was directly involved in negotiating contracts, analyzing and selecting existing hotels for rebranding, plus supervising the development and construction of new hotels. While defining the signature attributes of AMResorts’ six luxurious brands, Javier also developed and implemented new operating procedures for each brand’s finance, administration, auditing, IT and legal departments. Javier has been responsible and instrumental in developing strategies that would expand AMResorts’ world-class portfolio. Before joining AMResorts, Javier was the Deputy Managing Director of MAC Hotels, based in Palma de Mallorca, where he oversaw sales, marketing, operations and administration for the hotel chain. Javier was also Head of International Development (Spain), Managing Director (USA), and Director of Administration for Spain’s Barceló Group. He began his career as an economist, developing viability studies of the transition from traditional European-plan hotels to the all-inclusive format.
Originally from Palma de Mallorca, Spain, Javier graduated from Universitat de les Illes Balears with a B.A. in Marketing & International Taxation and received an M.B.A. in Business Administration/Economics from Universitat de Barcelona.
Javier Águila
In his role as President of Apple Leisure Group’s (ALG) European Division, Javier Águila leads the firm’s operations throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA region). A travel and hospitality industry veteran with more than 15 years’ experience in investment, strategy, operations and corporate finance, Mr. Águila is currently spearheading ALG’s ongoing international expansion into markets including Spain among others.
Immediately prior to joining the ALG team, Mr. Águila served as CEO and Founder of Alua Hotels and Resorts, one of Spain’s fastest-growing and dynamic hotel management companies. During his tenure at Alua, Mr. Águila worked alongside top institutional investors—including Blackstone, KKR, HI Partners, and Hispania—to quickly expand the brand’s portfolio to include over 3,000 rooms. The brand’s rapid growth, along with Mr. Águila’s ability to identify promising development opportunities and effectively raise capital, led to the acquisition of the Alua brand by ALG in 2018.
Prior to founding Alua, Mr. Águila served as Chief Operating Officer at Orizonia, one of Spain’s largest tourism conglomerates at the time (Tour Operator, Travel Agencies, OTA, DCM, Airline, Hotel Management) with over €2 billion in sales and more than 5,000 employees. He also worked as an investment professional at the Carlyle Group, a European Leveraged buyout fund with special focus on the travel and leisure industry; as a management consultant at Mckinsey & Co., a U.S.-based worldwide management consulting firm; and Booz Allen, an American management and information technology consulting firm with activity throughout the U.S., Europe and Latin America.
Mr. Águila holds a B.A. in Business Administration from ESADE, a master’s degree in International Management from Thunderbird and an MBA from Columbia Business School where he attended as a Rafael del Pino, and ICO Foundation Scholar.
Gonzalo del Peón
As one of the founders and current President of AMResorts®, Gonzalo del Peon has played a decisive role in defining and consolidating the company's business model and organizational structure, making AMResorts one of the leading hotel chains in the world within the luxury tourism segment, generating more than 30,000 direct jobs and more than $4.4 billion dollars in investments.
With more than 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Gonzalo presides over all areas of investor relations as well as owners, operations, administration, sales, marketing and product innovation across seven award-winning brands - Zoëtry® Wellness & Spa Resorts, Secrets®, Breathless®, Dreams®, Now®, Reflect® and Sunscape® Resorts & Spas. He also oversees Unlimited Vacation Club® (UVC), an elite benefits program for discerning travelers. Under his management, UVC has quickly grown to more than 100,000 members worldwide.
Gonzalo has been part of the AMResorts executive team since its inception in 2001. Prior to joining the Newtown Square-based company, he played an important role in the growth and development of Grupo Posadas in Mexico and Latin America. During the 14 years that he collaborated in this company, he acquired extensive experience and held various positions, including Marketing Director, Director of Strategic Planning and Innovation, and Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Previously, he held the position of Project Manager for Commercial Technical Equipment in Bilbao, Spain, as well as Brand Manager at Procter & Gamble in Mexico City.
Gonzalo has earned a reputation for excellence and has been recognized by industry leaders in Mexico and the Caribbean for his professional achievements. In 2016, he was honored with the prestigious “La Llave del Progreso” award in the Hotel Executive Category. Presented by AMAIT Abastecedores Turísticos A.C, the “Key to Progress” award celebrated his dedication and contribution to the growth and development of Mexico’s tourism industry. In addition to his professional career, he has played an effective role on the Marketing Committee of the Tourism Promotion Council of Mexico since 1999.
He has earned a Master of Business Administration at the Pan-American University’s PanAmerican Institute for High Business Direction (IPADE) and a degree in International Marketing at the Bilbao Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Spain. Gonzalo lives in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania with his wife and two children.
Steve Dumaine
Driven by a personal passion for excellence and a love of travel, Steve Dumaine is Executive Vice-President of Consumer Business, Vacations. On this role, he leads the strategy for the Vacation brands including Cheap Caribbean®, Beachbound®, Southwest Vacations® and United Vacations®; and is responsible for Contact Centers. Prior to his current position, Steve was President of CheapCaribbean.com for 4 years. His global experience runs the gamut of travel and leisure services and his reputation in the industry as a seasoned, technology-focused executive.
Dumaine joined CheapCaribbean.com after leadership stints at Travelocity, Expedia and Sabre. During the years he spent on these companies, Steve accumulated a breadth of industry knowledge and capabilities, including product development, marketing, technology strategy, supply chain management and operations expertise. As Chief Strategy, Technology & Operations Officer at Travelocity, Dumaine led the company’s global strategy, and product and innovation initiatives with a focus on user experience and consumer shopping habits.
Prior to Travelocity, Dumaine supported strategic business initiatives at Expedia and Hotels.com through a series of senior-level positions, from Director of Business Development to the Vice President & General Manager of Global Customer Operations at Hotels.com Worldwide. While with Hotels.com, he managed million-dollar budgets and led teams of individuals toward high-performance, company-wide business success. Before his roles at Expedia and Hotels.com, Dumaine held additional senior positions at Sabre Holdings and Booz Allen Hamilton.
Steve received his Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Texas A&M University before graduating with an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. He is also a United States veteran, having served as first lieutenant in the United States Army and National Guard.
Jacki Marks
As Executive Vice President of the B2B Vacation brands, Jacki is responsible for our valued travel agent business. She oversees Apple Vacations, Funjet Vacations, Travel Impressions, Blue Sky Tours, Southwest Vacations and United Vacations and how these brands transact with our travel advisors. Her responsibilities include leading over 100 of our talented Apple Leisure Group nationwide sales organization and over 200 group department team members. Driving strategies to support and ensure the long-term success of travel agents is her passion and focus.
Prior to the merger with ALG on May 2018, Jacki worked for the Mark Travel Corporation for 22 years and led revenue management, marketing, sales, groups and some operations for Funjet Vacations, Blue Sky Tours, Southwest Vacations and United Vacations. She was instrumental to the organization’s growth and profitability. During her time at Mark Travel, Jacki was also responsible for various company acquisitions and integrations. Her understanding and management of several core business functions, allowed for quick and successful business migration and expansion.
A key strategy Jacki helped to orchestrate in the Mark Travel’s operational excellence was the organizational shared service model. She created efficiencies while keeping a highly targeted focus on the brands and travel agent success.
Jacki graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor in Business, and a Bachelor in Management from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
Ray Snisky
As the Executive Vice President/CCO of Apple Leisure Group, Vacations, Snisky is responsible for marketing, revenue management, operations and all commercial relationships across hotels, airlines and other suppliers. Additionally, he manages the commercial relationship for branded partners Southwest Airlines and United Airlines. Snisky also leads development of new business opportunities across the vacations business.
Prior to the merger with ALG in May 2018, Snisky was responsible for strategic development to grow all of La Macchia Enterprises’ travel business, both domestically and internationally. Snisky also oversaw the development of new business opportunities and ventures at a holding company level.
Snisky joined The Mark Travel Corporation (TMTC) in 1995 as Manager of Business Development for United Vacations. He was promoted to Director of Business Development for parent company TMTC in 1996.
In 1998, Snisky was named Vice President of Corporate Development for TMTC. In his role he was responsible for acquisitions, acquisition integration, destination management and product development. He led a team which managed all supplier relationships for TMTC worldwide. This group managed the TMTC business relationships with airlines, hotels, ground transportation, attractions and destinations.
In 2004, Snisky was tapped to replace founder Bill La Macchia as President of the flagship brand of TMTC, Funjet Vacations. He was responsible for all aspects of the Funjet Vacations brand, one of the leading vacation brands in the world to Las Vegas, Mexico, Caribbean and Hawaii.
During his tenure with the company Snisky was involved in the development of many new business relationships and ventures, as well as the integration of several strategic business units.
Prior to joining The Mark Travel Corporation in 1995, Snisky was with Mirage Resorts Inc. in Las Vegas, Nevada. He held various positions of increasing responsibility in hotel operations from 1989-1995.
Ryan Solomon
Ryan Solomon is Chief Financial Officer for Apple Leisure Group and is a member of the Executive Committee. In this role, he oversees the finance, accounting, treasury and tax functions of Apple Leisure Group.
Ryan brings more than 15 years of broad finance, strategy and travel experience into his current role, mostly with American Airlines where he held various roles of increasing responsibility over nine years within Finance, Corporate Development and their Regional airline network strategy.
Ryan played a central role in the financial planning, diligence efforts and subsequent plan of the largest and most successful airline bankruptcy and reorganization in US history with American Airlines. In addition, Ryan successfully led efforts around the American Airlines regional network strategy that included the negotiation of a twelve year, ~$4 billion contract for new large regional jet aircraft that began operations in 2013, and integrating two new regional airline operators into the American Airlines regional network.
Ryan earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Texas A&M University and a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance from Texas Christian University.
John Ische
Sean McDevitt
Sean McDevitt is the Chief Human Resources Officer for the Apple Leisure Group (ALG). In this role he oversees all Human Capital and Talent Management functions for ALG globally.
Sean brings more than 20 years of diverse HR experiences to this role, having led HR teams both in the U.S. and abroad. Previous to ALG, Sean worked for PepsiCo where he led North America Beverage’s field HR function, supporting over 50,000 field-based employees in the U.S. and Canada. In this role he revitalized the HR team, built a culture of engagement and redesigned the Markets to strengthen field leadership..
In previous roles, he led the acquisition of an independent bottler in Turkey and additionally, brought the Snacks and Beverages businesses together in Spain and Portugal. Furthermore, Sean worked as the HR leader for the Global PepsiCo Transformation, working with the CEO to design a more globally integrated enterprise. Prior to PepsiCo Sean worked for Payless ShoeSource as an internal OD Consultant.
Sean received his B.S. in Psychology from Brigham Young University with a minor in Spanish. He earned his Masters’ of Organizational Behavior from the Marriott School of Management also at Brigham Young University.
Cory Shade
Cory Shade is Chief Legal Officer and member of the Apple Leisure Group Executive Committee. In this role, she is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the company’s legal matters. She was appointed to her position in August 2017.
Prior to joining ALG, Cory served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary at Perry Ellis International. Inc., where she was responsible for all legal matters. Prior to joining Perry Ellis in 2006, Cory was the General Counsel of Firstcom Corporation (merged into AT&T Latin America) and responsible for all legal and governance matters.
Previously, Cory was a Corporate Attorney with the law firm’s Steel, Hector & Davis, LLP, which is now known as Squire, Saunders & Dempsey, LLP and Kilpatrick Stockton LLP. Her practice included securities, mergers and acquisitions, and financing, as well as general corporate counseling.
Cory holds a B.A. in economics from George Washington University, and she earned her J.D. and M.B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis.