Hilton appoints executive VP of corporate affairs

Hilton Worldwide has appointed William Margaritis as executive vice president of corporate affairs, effective this month.

Margaritis joins the company from his role as senior vice president of global communications and investor relations at FedEx Corporation.

He will be based at the company’s headquarters in Mclean, VA and will report to Christopher J. Nassetta, president and CEO of Hilton Worldwide. Margaritis will also serve as a member of the company's Executive Committee.

Nassetta commented: "After an extensive and thoughtful search, Bill stood out as a highly respected and seasoned leader with a proven track record and the right combination of experience.

"As we continue to gain momentum and accelerate our growth around the world, finding additional ways to reach, engage and connect with our most critical stakeholders becomes even more important.

“Bill's breadth of experience and his broad understanding of global business and markets will help us build, strengthen and execute an integrated strategy across Hilton that will enhance our industry leadership position and our ability to differentiate ourselves in the marketplace."

At Hilton, Margaritis will oversee internal and external communications, government relations and corporate responsibility globally.

He brings 33 years of experience, having managed various facets of corporate and marketing communications, government affairs, investor relations and employee communications.

At FedEx, Margaritis led the strategic repositioning and rebranding of communications programmes for the company through an integrated customer and employee campaign.

He was also the architect of the Purple Promise, an award-winning internal employee engagement initiative to create a common multimedia rallying platform for 300,000 team members across many operating companies around the world.

Margaritis implemented strategic reputation programmes that helped FedEx consistently earn top-tier rank in Fortune's Most Admired Companies and Great Places to Work lists.

"Hilton is one of the world's truly great pioneering brands and is on a strong growth trajectory," said Margaritis.

"I'm honored to be joining the Hilton family and excited to play a role in growing the company, unifying the culture and telling its compelling story to stakeholders around the world."

Prior to FedEx, he served as vice president of public relations & marketing communications for Europe, Africa, Middle East and Southwest Asia at Bechtel Corporation, based in London, UK.

Previously he was the manager for state government affairs for occidental petroleum corporation, and also served as a special assistant for intergovernmental affairs in the Office of the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Malcolm Baldrige, in the Reagan Administration.

Margaritis began his career as a legislative assistant in the Michigan Senate and also served as the deputy director for the Reagan-Bush 1984 Presidential Campaign in Michigan.

He holds a bachelor's of arts degree in Business from Michigan State University and is a past chairman of the board of the Arthur W. Page Society, the professional association of chief communications officers.