Jerry Inzerillo

Group Chief Executive Officer, Diriyah Company

Gerard “Jerry” Inzerillo is a world-renowned hospitality and tourism visionary who, over the course of his five decade career in the industry, has been a champion for the sector and its people, and the creative and logistical mind behind some of the world’s most innovative luxury brand activations and spectacular development launches. Born in Brooklyn, he comes from a family of five generations of bakers. His career in hospitality was born out of necessity. In June 2018, Inzerillo was appointed by HRH The Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to be the first CEO of the newly created Diriyah Gate Development Authority, (DGDA), a USD $40 Billion development project aimed at restoring and reimagining the ancestral home of the original Saudi state. In this role, Inzerillo is charged with developing and implementing a master plan to turn 67 square kilometers of development area into one of the world’s greatest gathering places, encompassing world-class cultural, entertainment, retail, hospitality, educational, religious, office and residential assets, with the UNESCO World Heritage site of At-Turaif as its center-point. Giga-project Diriyah Gate, 15 minutes north of Riyadh, will be transformed into a tourism destination. Built to be sustainable, it will be home to a population of 100,000 and aims to attract 25 million visitors annually. With museums, retail, restaurants and hotels, it will be a place to shop, dine, live and work. When complete, the development will add 27 billion Saudi riyals to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's GDP, attract 27 Million visitors and employ more than 55,000 people. Throughout his career life, Inzerillo’s leadership has led to the conceptual success of breakout brands such as Atlantis, One&Only Resorts, Ian Schrager Hotels, Four Seasons and Hilton Hotels. In his personal life, Inzerillo has long been involved with philanthropy, especially with respect to children, education and HIV/AIDS. He was honored with a Knighthood by the Knights of Malta in Rome, Italy, in 1996. Inzerillo is also a founding advisory board member of the Clinton AIDS initiative.