Choice Hotels International, Inc., one of the world’s largest lodging franchisors, announced that it has named Simone Wu senior vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary.

In this position, she will provide leadership to the business as the primary legal advisor to the company’s senior management team and board of directors, as well as serve as an integral part of the leadership team. As general counsel, she will advise on all legal matters including major domestic and international contracts and transactions, and matters relating to securities compliance, SEC filings and governance, licensing, as well as oversee litigation. Ms. Wu reports to Stephen P. Joyce, president and CEO.

“Simone has a great deal of experience working closely with corporate governance matters and brings a broad business orientation and diverse global background to her role,” said Joyce. “In her past positions, she has excelled at partnering with business units to find mutually beneficial solutions, and I feel that her skills, experience, and mindset will make her a valuable asset to our organization.”

Ms. Wu joins Choice Hotels with more than 20 years of legal and regulatory experience, including expertise in corporate matters, mergers and acquisitions, international and domestic commercial transactions and joint ventures, litigation, employment law, and technology and intellectual property issues.

Most recently, Ms. Wu served as executive vice president, general counsel, and secretary for XO Communications, a leading nationwide provider of advanced IP communications, managed network, and IT infrastructure services. Prior to joining XO Communications in 2001, Ms. Wu held legal and business executive roles at MCI and AOL. She also practiced corporate transactional and communications law at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, where she counted large media and technology companies among her clients.

Ms. Wu received a degree in political science from the University of Michigan and a law degree from Columbia University. She serves on the boards of directors for the Washington Metropolitan Area Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel, the Minority Corporate Counsel Association, and The Inkwell.