LAURENCE GELLER is the founder of Strategic Hotels and Resorts, owner of a renowned luxury portfolio of hotels and resorts--a publicly traded Chicago-based company that he launched in 1997. Previously he was Chairman and CEO of Geller & Co., a gaming, tourism and lodging advisory company, and a senior executive at Hyatt Development Corporation, Holiday Inns, and London's Grand Metropolitan Hotels.
Mr. Geller is Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Churchill Centre, and also serves on the boards of Children's Memorial Hospital, the American Jewish Committee, and the Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau.
On December 31, 2011, Mr. Geller was named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. A lifelong sportsman who was a nationally ranked rugby player and marathoner, Mr. Geller divides his time between Chicago, New York, London and Paris.