Leaders who are changing the face of the East Coast Chapter!
We’re celebrating International Women’s Month by recognizing some of the hospitality industry’s leaders.
Mentor
Board Member
East Coast Chapter
Gloria Fu
Independent Board Director
Gloria Fu brings over 20 years of investment management expertise, most recently as a Managing Director and Portfolio Manager at JPMorgan Asset Management with responsibility for $40 billion of assets, which she helped grow from $3 billion in 2004 when she joined the team. Ms. Fu is known for her industry-leading expertise in analyzing and investing in consumer and real estate companies, particularly omnichannel retail and lodging. Her broad base of expertise includes strategy, financial analysis, and shareholder-related issues. Both of her funds, JPM MidCap Value and JPM Value Advantage, were 5-star rated by Morningstar, and JPM MidCap Value won the firm’s first gold medal award from Morningstar during her tenure. In 2013, JPM MidCap Value was featured in Bloomberg Markets Magazine and was the top performing fund in the Institutional Investor MidCap Value category.
Ms. Fu is a subject matter expert on corporate governance issues. She was a founding member of JPMorgan Asset Management’s Proxy Committee in 2007. In this role, she provided leadership and guidance to firm management, her peers, and her direct reports on a range of topics including proxy contests, Say on Pay, and ESG. Her many years of experience as an investor and member of the Proxy Committee provide her with a deep understanding of board governance, investors, and activism.
As a Portfolio Manager, Ms. Fu drove performance through idea generation, sizing, and timing the entry and exit of positions in the funds. She focused on consumer-facing companies with market capitalizations of $3 billion to $20 billion across retail, lodging, housing, media, consumer staples, healthcare, and REITs. As part of her investment process she regularly met with numerous CEOs, CFOs and senior executives. She was frequently a top 10 shareholder of companies in the portfolio.
Earlier in her career, Ms. Fu was a Vice President at JPMorgan Securities and a sell-side equity research analyst focused on the gaming and lodging industries. During her tenure, the team was awarded the prestigious designation of Institutional Investor’s All-American Research Team from 2001 through 2003.
She currently serves as an Independent Board Director for PropTech Investment Corporation II (NASDAQ: PTIC) and is a member of the Audit committee. Her non-profit leadership roles include Board Director for Visions - a New York based group sponsoring programs for the blind. She serves on the Development and Audit committees for Visions. She is also a Board Director of the International Luxury Hotel Association - Northeast Chapter, an association focused on connecting hotel industry executives. She serves on the Research and Mentorship committees. She is also an advisory board member to MREN, a cloud-based real estate company.
Ms. Fu resides in New York City. She holds a BS and Master’s degree in Hospitality Administration from Cornell University. She is also a CFA Charterholder.
Ms. Fu is a subject matter expert on corporate governance issues. She was a founding member of JPMorgan Asset Management’s Proxy Committee in 2007. In this role, she provided leadership and guidance to firm management, her peers, and her direct reports on a range of topics including proxy contests, Say on Pay, and ESG. Her many years of experience as an investor and member of the Proxy Committee provide her with a deep understanding of board governance, investors, and activism.
As a Portfolio Manager, Ms. Fu drove performance through idea generation, sizing, and timing the entry and exit of positions in the funds. She focused on consumer-facing companies with market capitalizations of $3 billion to $20 billion across retail, lodging, housing, media, consumer staples, healthcare, and REITs. As part of her investment process she regularly met with numerous CEOs, CFOs and senior executives. She was frequently a top 10 shareholder of companies in the portfolio.
Earlier in her career, Ms. Fu was a Vice President at JPMorgan Securities and a sell-side equity research analyst focused on the gaming and lodging industries. During her tenure, the team was awarded the prestigious designation of Institutional Investor’s All-American Research Team from 2001 through 2003.
She currently serves as an Independent Board Director for PropTech Investment Corporation II (NASDAQ: PTIC) and is a member of the Audit committee. Her non-profit leadership roles include Board Director for Visions - a New York based group sponsoring programs for the blind. She serves on the Development and Audit committees for Visions. She is also a Board Director of the International Luxury Hotel Association - Northeast Chapter, an association focused on connecting hotel industry executives. She serves on the Research and Mentorship committees. She is also an advisory board member to MREN, a cloud-based real estate company.
Ms. Fu resides in New York City. She holds a BS and Master’s degree in Hospitality Administration from Cornell University. She is also a CFA Charterholder.
Insights by Gloria Fu
Spotlight on Rika Lisslö- Vice President of Development at Hyatt
Born in Sweden, Rika has forged a successful career in broad-based development and brand expansion with a proven track record in hospitality, food, and beverage, retail and mixed-use projects. Her current responsibilities encompass the growth and brand expansion of Hyatt’s full-service brand portfolio spanning the lifestyle, wellness & luxury segments throughout the Eastern United States.
East Coast Chapter International Women’s Month Q&A by Jessica Hahr
We’re celebrating International Women’s Month by recognizing some of the hospitality industry’s leaders. From architects to public relations executives, we’re grateful to be surrounded by strong women, guiding the way for the future of hospitality and equality in the workforce.
East Coast Chapter: International Women’s Month Q&A with Ofra Gelman, Principal, Dwell Design Studio
We’re celebrating International Women’s Month by recognizing some of the hospitality industry’s leaders. From architects to public relations executives, we’re grateful to be surrounded by strong women, guiding the way for the future of hospitality and equality in the workforce.
ILHA East Coast Chapter International Women’s Month Q&A with Carolyn Izzo-Feldman, Founder & CEO, CIIC PR
We’re celebrating International Women’s Month by recognizing some of the hospitality industry’s leaders.
ILHA East Coast Chapter
International Women’s Month Q&A with Dr. Lisa Cain, Associate Professor, Florida International University – Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management
We’re celebrating International Women’s Month by recognizing some of the hospitality industry’s leaders. From entrepreneurs to higher education, we’re grateful to be surrounded by strong women, guiding the way for the future of hospitality and equality in the workforce.
Up next in our series, we sat down with Dr. Lisa Cain, an Associate Professor in the Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Florida International University, where she teaches Women in Hospitality Leadership, Global Issues & Competitive Methods, and Marketing Management. We had the good fortune of meeting Dr. Cain during a past ILHA webinar, Future of Investment in Hospitality, where she acted as moderator.
Dr. Cain received her doctoral degree in hospitality from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and her Master’s degree from Florida International University in Hospitality Management. Her research interests emphasize understanding internal and external customer experiences in the hospitality industry. She has helped secure over $300,000 in grant funding, co-authored two textbooks, published over 50 peer reviewed articles, and received an FIU Top Scholar Award in 2021.
What woman/women do you admire the most and why?
I have been fortunate to have been surrounded by strong women since birth, from my great-grandmother down to my cousin. My mother has worked in events and catering since before I was born, and she worked 100+ hour weeks while raising me and my brother. Her work ethic is unparalleled, and she inspires me every day. I have also been privileged enough to have attended a women’s college, had incredible female mentors, and I continue to be surrounded by extraordinary women in my field.
Has being a female in a male-dominated space posed any challenges for you through your career? If so, how did you overcome them?
If there have been roadblocks in my career path due to my gender, I have not been privy to them. I attribute this to the education I was afforded, my strong support system, the thoughtful guidance from and trust in my mentors, and the perspective that I am in control of the narrative of my life and the subsequent outcomes. But I also recognize the privilege of my circumstances, as I have witnessed individuals being overlooked because of their gender. As an industry, we have to work to find ways to overcome individual biases and organizational policies and practices that inhibit career advancement for women.
What is your proudest achievement to date?
My proudest achievement is the nurturing and supportive family that I have created with my husband Christopher. We have been blessed with two extraordinary children, Henry and Juliet, and the environment we have created enables me to show them that it is possible to pursue personal and professional goals when you have a strong support system in place.
What will be the biggest challenge for the next generation of female leaders in hospitality and how do you overcome them?
For women in a corporate setting, the greatest challenge will be balancing work and life goals. The corporate ladder has a broken rung that makes it challenging for women to attain entry-level managerial positions, which then stifles their ability to rise to senior-level positions in the organization. This phenomenon is further exacerbated if they also wish to start a family. There needs to be a policy and mindset shift in order to fix that rung.
What is the most important message you want to share with women just starting out or looking to grow their career in hospitality?
Apply for the job that seems like it’s a stretch. Statistics have shown that women will not apply for a job unless they meet 9 or 10 out of 10 criteria for a job. Those same statistics show that men will apply if they meet only 3 of those criteria.
Lastly, why hospitality?
The hospitality industry is high-energy, fast-paced, exciting, and allows you to meet individuals from all over the world. It is so multi-faceted that there is literally a position for everyone in this industry.
Interested in joining the International Luxury Hotel Association East Coast Chapter? Join here
ILHA East Coast Chapter: International Women’s Month Q&A with Rika Lisslö, Vice President of Development at Hyatt
We’re celebrating International Women’s Month by recognizing some of the hospitality industry’s most successful professionals.
