The former regional vice president for the company takes over the role from Samir Baidas — who served as company CDO, among other roles, for over 14 years – after the Marriott veteran left to spend more time with his family.

“Jerome is an experienced leader who is well-respected among our global development executives and ownership groups, and we are delighted to have him lead our development efforts in the region,” said Tony Capuano, executive vice president and global chief development officer at Marriott International.

Capuano added. “Jerome will be instrumental in driving our growth trajectory and extending our market leadership in the Middle East and Africa while supporting our overall global development vision.”

Alex Kyriakidis, president and managing director, Middle East and Africa, Marriott International added, “The Middle East and Africa is a dynamic region that continues to present great opportunities for us to grow and diversify our brand portfolio across new and established markets. Under Jerome’s leadership, we look forward to building on the positive momentum and results our team has achieved over the past years.”

Briet holds over 15 years of hospitality experience. He first joined Marriott International in 2012 and has since signed more than 6,000 rooms across the Middle East & Africa, including iconic properties such as the Bulgari Resort & Residences Dubai, Renaissance Downtown Hotel, Dubai, Marriott Hotel & Resort Palm Jumeirah and The Ritz-Carlton properties in Ras Al Khaimah (Al Wadi and Al Hamra).

Prior to joining Marriott, Briet worked with Jones Lang LaSalle in their Paris and Dubai offices, where he handled capital markets transactions in the MENA region. He also worked with Millennium & Copthorne, where he oversaw Development & Acquisitions for the Middle East, Africa and India.