Convene Hospitality Group is led by a fearless executive team of visionaries, strategists, and doers with a collective 130 years of experience in the hospitality sector. Driven by unwavering tenacity and grit, CHG leadership is dedicated to scaling a hospitality empire.
Ryan Simonetti is the President and CEO of Convene Hospitality Group (CHG), where he has revolutionized the commercial real estate industry by integrating hospitality and lifestyle into premium meeting, event, and flexible office spaces. Under his leadership, CHG has grown into the largest provider of its kind in the U.S. and UK, boasting a global portfolio of nearly 40 locations across nine cities.
A Villanova University alumnus with a background in real estate finance at Lehman Brothers and Gramercy Capital Corp., Ryan has been recognized for his transformative achievements and named a "Top Entrepreneur" by Crain’s New York. Under his helm, CHG has been named one of America’s 100 Most Promising Companies by Forbes and a Best Workplace by Inc. magazine, Fortune magazine, and Built In.
Melanie Colton is Chief Product & Technology Officer at Convene Hospitality Group, where she leads digital product, engineering, data, infrastructure and AI-driven capabilities across the brand portfolio. With over 25 years of experience spanning media, fitness, and consumer technology, she has a proven track record of building high-performing product and engineering organizations, modernizing enterprise platforms, and translating technology investment into commercial growth.
Adam Eskin is Chief Growth Officer at Convene Hospitality Group, where he leads real estate, design, construction, M&A, and strategic growth partnerships. Prior to CHG, he was the founder of Dig Inn, a pioneering farm-to-table restaurant brand he scaled to more than 30 locations and over $100M in revenue, following earlier experience in private equity and investment banking. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Brown University with a degree in Business Economics.
Jonathan Ojany is Chief Financial & Operating Officer of Convene Hospitality Group, where he leads global Finance, Strategy, Operations, Procurement, and Legal. With over 20 years of global leadership experience across Hospitality, CPG, and Retail, he brings a disciplined, consumer-led approach to scaling premium brands and high-performance platforms, advancing category-defining experiences, strengthening operating models, and driving sustainable growth and long-term enterprise value.
Margaret Rafferty serves as Chief People Officer at Convene Hospitality Group overseeing the organization’s People Operations, Benefits, Culture, Talent Acquisition, and Learning and Development teams. With nearly 25 years of experience, she has spent the entirety of her career managing the HR function for prominent hospitality companies.
As UK Managing Director of Convene Hospitality Group, Niamh Martin oversees site operations, financial performance, and growth of the company’s UK business. She has nearly 20 years of experience working across lifestyle hospitality brands, including operational oversight of 22 restaurants across London, Manchester and Birmingham as well as the development of new F&B concepts from inception to opening.
Nicole Casazza is senior vice president of finance, leading financial operations, reporting, controls, and compliance. With over 30 years of experience across global hospitality, CPG, and media sectors, she specializes in building scalable finance organizations and guiding businesses through complex transformations. She champions a forward-thinking approach to advancing operational efficiency, leveraging technology, and partnering with cross-functional leaders to inform business decisions and drive long-term performance.
Brian Holland, senior vice president of real estate at Convene Hospitality Group is responsible for expanding the company’s global portfolio of brands via market growth, landlord partnerships, and acquisitions. His experience across the real estate sector is all-encompassing from site selection through to entitlements, capitalization, construction, management, and disposition.
Phoenix Porcelli, senior vice president of sales at Convene Hospitality Group, oversees a global team of more than 85 sales professionals supporting nearly 40 locations. She led the development and expansion of the Enterprise Sales Team, Inbound Sales Team, and Commercial Enablement Team to maximize the company’s global sales capabilities and cultivate a cohesive cross-brand-selling strategy. Phoenix is also a Certified Meeting Planner (CMP).
As Senior Vice President of Brand Marketing at Convene Hospitality Group (CHG), Jacque Riley oversees brand development, differentiation, and expansion as well as global brand marketing strategy. With over 15 years of brand launch experience across lifestyle hospitality, she has previously held global growth roles at some of the world's most prominent hotel companies.
Courtenay Wendell is senior vice president of U.S. Operations for Convene Hospitality Group where she oversees a team of nearly 450 across 26 locations responsible for bringing meetings and events to life for clients. With 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, she brings an unprecedented level of operational excellence to the organization.