Mike is an experienced hospitality and travel executive. He founded CruiseShipCenters International, North America’s largest chain of cruise specialty travel agencies, with over 160 retail locations and 4,500 travel advisors. The company was named Franchisor of the Year numerous times by the Canadian Franchise Association and Mike was inducted into the Canadian Franchise Hall of Fame in 2009. He was also inducted into the Cruise Lines International Association Hall of Fame for Innovation in 2013. Mike sold CruiseShipCenters to Expedia in 2007. Mike is a past chapter president of Entrepreneurs Organization (EO). Mike’s passion for real estate, the travel industry and Zihuatanejo led to his purchase of Sotavento in 2018. Mike is also the founder of Branch-Up Technologies, a tech start-up that supports the travel industry with leading edge marketing systems.

Jon is a 3rd generation hotelier. His experience encompasses corporate growth, public and private finance, social enterprise, hotel operations, environmental initiatives, real estate visioning/planning/development, fractional/timeshare/whole ownership offerings and developments on First Nations lands. He has negotiated numerous hotel acquisitions, management contracts and franchise agreements and has managed dozens of hotel repositioning and turn-arounds. As a principal of Bellstar Hotels & Resorts, he was responsible for corporate growth. Prior to that, he was co-founder of Canada’s first hotel REIT. In 2016, Jon was awarded the Canadian Prime Minister’s Business Leader Award for Volunteerism. In 2018, he was named the Vacation Ownership Industry Leader of the Year. After 6 years serving as President & CEO of the Canadian Vacation Ownership Assn. (formerly CRDA), he is currently the association’s Chair. Jon is a former member of TEC/Vistage.

Peter is the founder and CEO of Revenue Automation, a dynamic digital marketing agency. It specializes in IBM Watson Customer Engagement solutions providing services to major brands across North America. He is a member of Entrepreneurs Organization where he served as Chapter President and a Director on the International Board. He is also an active member of ACETECH, a leadership and networking forum for CEOs in the technology sector. As Branch-Up Technologies COO, Peter is overseeing strategic partnerships that will drive Sotavento sales and operating revenues.

After completing his Bachelor of Commerce degree (Finance and Economics), Paul went on to join the Mergers and Acquisitions Group of KPMG (formerly Peat Marwick and Partners) where he received his Chartered Accountant designation. In 1987, Paul left KPMG and since that time he has developed an extensive background in finance, mergers and acquisitions in both public and private companies throughout North America and Europe. Through his Private Equity firm, Ryebridge Capital Corp., he has founded or acquired several privately held companies within a variety of industries and built an extensive real estate portfolio. Ryebridge has also been very active in alternative investments including DIP financing, China seed capital investments, real estate syndicates and a variety of venture investments. Paul is a past Councillor for the Institute of Chartered Accountant as well as a variety of business associations and supports several philanthropic causes.

John’s background includes building substantial enterprises in hospitality, publishing and real estate. He began acquiring large multifamily and resort projects in 1992. In 2000, he founded 20|20 Group, which developed over $1.2B CDN in multifamily condominium and resort properties across Canada and the U.S. John is a past chapter president and international board member of Entrepreneurs Organization (EO).

Darryl has over 20 years of experience in design, construction and management of real estate developments, including analysis, negotiations, rezoning, entitlement, and project administration. Since joining the company in 2002, he has been involved in 23 projects, ranging from condominium conversions to master planned community development. Darryl and his family reside in Zihuatanejo, Mexico.

Angelica is an accomplished bilingual professional who holds a Marketing Master’s Degree and brings sixteen years of strategic marketing experience in a variety of industries, including hospitality, recreational real estate, advertising, entertainment, and consumer products. She has worked with some of the world’s most recognized brands, including Ritz-Carlton/Marriott, Marlboro, IMAX, The Coca Cola Co., HSBC, Nestlé, Corona, Walmart, Kellogg’s, and Disney. Angélica joined the Sotavento team in 2020 and lives in Mexico.

Pat has more than 35 years’ experience in advertising, vacation travel and tourism. He worked closely with Mike Drever to expand CruiseShipCenters nationally and internationally, while working closely with potential and existing franchise operators to ensure their success. Pat is a "relationship first" sales executive who was semi-retired before falling in love with Zihuatanejo and Sotavento and making the decision to join our team in 2020. For much of the year, Pat lives in Zihuatanejo, Mexico.

Akos has been working in real estate development and finance for 18 years and joined our team in 2005. His experience includes sales, project financing, deal structuring, and institutional liaisons. His love of Mexico, and his understanding of the recreational and international real estate markets make him a valuable member of our team.

Jose has lived in Zihuatanejo and worked in the tourism industry for more than 30 years. He started his career in customer service, working for destination marketing companies. Then Jose worked as a Sales Representative for Apple Vacations, and Sunwing Vacations. His experience promoting Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo as a world-class destination also includes working as a tour operator for Carnival and Norwegian Cruise Lines and Westjet Vacation Canada. Jose joined the Sotavento sales team in 2017.

Enn has over thirty years of experience as an executive in commercial and corporate finance, banking and business development. He has an MBA and is a Fellow of the Institute of Canadian Bankers. Enn has worked for both international and domestic financial institutions in senior management positions and has worked on real estate projects with John Murphy since 1994.

Jeremy is an experienced human resources executive who has held hospitality HR, training and opening roles in with Fairmont, CP Hotels and Keg Restaurants. Jeremy consults to organisations in several countries and recently co-developed and completed a service excellence program for three thousand Quantas airlines employees. He is passionate about working closely with local professionals to ensure Sotavento is the most desirable place to work in the region.

ARQUITECTOS ANDRES M. SAAVEDRA BANDA
ARCHITECTS SPROULE + ASSOCIATES

HVS

MOGAN DANIELS SLAGER DMT TORY JARVIS & CO.

Nicole has extensive experience in both tourism and marketing having worked for more than 15 years with some of the leading hospitality and travel brands in Canada, the US and Europe. She is a start-up business founder with over five years experience managing a diverse portfolio. Nicole attributes her entrepreneurial success to a strong focus on customer service and satisfaction.

Carlos has over 30 years of experience dealing with Latin American jurisdictions, public and private companies and real estate development. He is instrumental in negotiating fair and equitable solutions for all stakeholders and ensuring projects are developed successfully.

HUJAL CONSTRUCTORA

PORADA DESIGN GROUP

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