Starwood Hotels & Resorts has announced long-time leader, Osvaldo Librizzi will step down from his current role, co-president of the Americas, at the end of the year and will serve as non-executive chairman until the end of 2015.

Sergio Rivera, currently his co-president in the role, will become president of the Americas and assume full responsibility for the region, and Jorge Giannattasio, currently senior vice president and chief financial officer of the Americas, has been appointed to the role of chief of Latin America operations and global initiatives.

This summer Giannattasio will begin overseeing regional operations, reporting directly to Rivera.

As part of his planned retirement, Librizzi will work closely with Rivera and Giannattasio to ensure a smooth transition throughout the year.

Starwood chief executive Frits van Paasschen said: “On behalf of the entire Starwood team, I would like to thank Osvaldo for his many contributions and dedication to our company over the last nearly 40 years.

“Osvaldo helped shape our organization in Latin America, growing both our geographic footprint across Mexico, and Central and South America, as well as our talented team in the region.

“Today we have nearly 8,500 associates and 80 hotels in Latin America, with another almost 20 hotels in our pipeline.”
van Paasschen continued, “We always view change as an opportunity for other capable leaders within Starwood to take on new roles and challenges, and Jorge Giannattasio is the ideal leader to manage our expanding operations in Latin America.

“Under the experienced direction of Serge and Jorge, we are confident Starwood will continue to build on its already strong position as the leading high-end hotel operator in the region.”

Librizzi began his career with Starwood in 1975 as assistant controller at the Sheraton Buenos Aires and served in numerous and progressively senior management positions during the course of his career.