Hotel giant Marriott International has now appointed Anthony “Tony” Capuano as chief executive officer, tapping the veteran development executive to lead the hotel company’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

The leadership change comes eight days after the death of former chief executive, Arne Sorenson. Capuano has now replaced Sorenson who died at 62 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

He has now become just the fourth leader in the company’s history to become the CEO and will face the challenging task of navigating the company’s growth in extremely turbulent times.

“Capuano has played a critical role in Marriott’s growth over the last decade. He will be a terrific leader as we continue to advance our growth strategy while also navigating the market dynamics of the Covid-19 pandemic. He works thoughtfully and pragmatically with our owner and franchisee community and has been steadfast in ensuring Marriott delivers operational excellence and elevated customer experiences at our properties,” said J.W. ‘Bill’ Marriott, Jr, executive chairman and chairman of the board in Marriott International.

Prior to this appointment, Capuano, aged 55, was responsible for leading global development and design efforts and overseeing the company’s global operations discipline. He began his Marriott career in 1995 as part of the market planning and feasibility team.

“I am honoured to be appointed to take the helm of Marriott but it is a bittersweet moment. Arne was a mentor, a champion and a friend to each member of his close-knit leadership team,” said Capuano.

At the same time, the board also announced that Stephanie Linnartz, previously group president, consumer operations, technology and emerging businesses, has been appointed president of the company, effective immediately.

As president, Linnartz will be responsible for developing and executing all aspects of the company’s global consumer strategy, including brand, marketing, sales, revenue management, customer engagement, digital, information technology, emerging businesses and loyalty strategies.