• March 29, 2005

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide has named Javier Benito executive vice president and chief marketing officer for the company. Benito will report to Steven J. Heyer, Starwood's Chief Executive Officer. In his new role, Benito will be responsible for all aspects of marketing worldwide. Most recently, he was the U.S. Retail Division President and Chief Marketing Officer for Coca-Cola North America, where he led a number of successful product launches, including Diet Coke with Lime and Coca-Cola C2. He joined Coke in 1994, and served in a variety of global positions, including division marketing director for central and eastern Europe, senior vice president of marketing and operations for Brazil, and division president of the Nordic and Baltic division. -- Amy Corr