Hilton has announced the return of Christian Charnaux to the company as executive vice president and chief development officer. Charnaux will start on July 1, 2025, reporting to CEO Chris Nassetta and as a part of Hilton’s executive committee.
Charnaux joins from Inspire Brands – the restaurant company that owns Arby’s, Baskin-Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dunkin’, Jimmy John’s and SONIC – where he served as chief growth officer since its founding in 2018.
“We are delighted to be welcoming Christian back to Hilton and grateful to Kevin for his tremendous leadership during this period,” said Nassetta. “Christian is joining at a time of incredible momentum for our business and will play a critical role in helping us accelerate our global growth agenda. With his experience and focus, we will continue building on our network effect, giving more guests even more places to stay for every stay occasion.”
Charnaux joined Hilton in 2009 and served in several brand management, commercial and finance positions until 2018, including as senior vice president of corporate finance and leading Hilton’s Investor Relations efforts. Before Hilton and Inspire Brands, he was with the Boston Consulting Group, where he focused on the travel and consumer product sectors. He also worked for J.P. Morgan in the Technology Coverage and Mergers & Acquisitions groups.
“Having previously worked with Chris Nassetta and with many on the leadership team, I know the extraordinary culture and business to which I am returning, and I couldn’t be more enthusiastic about it,” said Charnaux. “I look forward to working collaboratively with our teams and owners as we continue to build on Hilton’s record-breaking results.”
Currently, Charnaux serves on the boards of ARCOP, National DCP, as vice chair of Georgia’s Partnership for Inclusive Innovation and on the University of North Carolina Board of Visitors.
