Our Leadership Team

Joe Margison is the Chief Executive Officer of Virgin Hotels, with over 25 years of experience in investment and finance.

He most recently served as Chief Commercial Officer at Virgin Group. Since he joined the Group in 2015 Joe was part of, and co-led since 2023, the investment and commercial team. He worked closely with multiple Virgin businesses as both an investor and operating partner. He also oversaw the Virgin Group real estate portfolio, leading investment, development and asset management. Joe has represented the Virgin Group on numerous company and property boards across the travel and leisure and health and wellness sectors.

Prior to joining the Virgin Group, Joe was with the New Zealand Superannuation Fund, where he focused on investments in private equity, credit, and real estate. He began his career at Ernst & Young and is a Chartered Accountant.

Claire Hilton is Chief Marketing Officer for Virgin Hotels Collection. Claire has served as Chief Brand Officer for the Virgin Group, responsible for the overall Virgin masterbrand strategy and direction.

Claire previously worked at BT and Barclays in various roles including Chief of Staff, UK Marketing Director and Managing Director, Global Brand & Insight. Claire is also a Non-Exec Director at the Advertising Standards Authority, an active member of Women in Advertising & Communications London (WACL) and a member of the Marketing Group of Great Britain.

Chris Stevens, Chief Operating Officer for Virgin Hotels Collection, brings a wealth of operational expertise, asset value creation, and nearly 25 years of hospitality leadership.

Previously, Chris served as Senior Vice President at Ashford Inc., where he ran Asset Management and Commercial divisions for all asset classes, including the luxury and luxury lifestyle divisions. Prior to that, he was Vice President of Asset Management at BRE Hotels & Resorts, a Black stone portfolio company, where he focused on strategic value creation across a diverse portfolio of hospitality assets. He also held earlier leadership positions at Ashford Inc., helping steer complex assets through market transitions. Chris’s foundation inhospitality was built during a distinguished 17-year tenure at Hilton, where he advanced through a series of progressive roles in operations, revenue management, and global commercial strategy. From leading regional revenue initiatives to shaping global growth plans, he developed a sharp eye for scalable excellence and brand integrity. Chris holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Illinois and an M.B.A. from the SMU CoxSchool of Business. 

As Chief Development Officer, Greg is responsible for setting and implementing Virgin Hotels’ global growth strategy, identifying opportunities in key markets, and structuring transactions that work for Virgin Hotels and its Owner/Developer partners. Greg spearheads Virgin Hotels entrance into the branded residential business. He works in tandem with the Chief Executive Officer, Executive Committee, and the Development team.

Before joining Virgin Hotels, Greg served as Senior Vice President, Development at Accor, where he led development for North and Central America as well as the development of luxury and upscale brands in South America. Greg’s tenure at Accor also included leading the global residential business. Prior to Accor, Greg led development for the Americas and the Global Residential business at Fairmont Raffles Hotels International (FRHI). Greg earned his Master of Business Administration from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.

Wendy Mertz, Chief Information Officer, leads the global strategic technology direction for Virgin Hotels. Wendy joined Virgin Hotels in January, 2023.

Prior to joining Virgin Hotels, Wendy was the Vice President, Information Technology for non-gaming systems at Seminole Hard Rock Support Services, the IT business partner for the multibillion-dollar global entertainment company that includes hotels, casinos, live music venues, cafes and corporate business units. She moved into the job after having served for 17 years in various technology positions at Hard Rock International and holding IT leadership positions at Walt Disney Company and Disney Cruise Line. During her tenure at Hard Rock, which has properties in 65 countries, Wendy was responsible for several multimillion-dollar system implementation and conversion projects. In addition, she developed and implemented Hard Rock’s global technology standards and was a sought out thought leader for the organization.

Wendy has served on the board of Hospitality Technology Next Generation (HTNG) and was part of the executive leadership team that facilitated the merger of HTNG with the American Hotel &

Lodging Association. She continues to serve on the HTNG’s Executive Leadership Group at AHLA, and she is actively involved in the women’s mentorship programs. She was recognized by the Rochester Institute of Technology for her contributions to the hospitality industry and featured as one of Hospitality Upgrade’s Third Annual Technology Rock Stars.

Johanna Kent is a highly accomplished human resources executive with over 27 years of experience in fostering exceptional employee experiences for some of the world’s most recognized brands.

Her career has been marked by achievements in talent acquisition, leadership development, and building inclusive workplace cultures. In her previous role, at Virgin Orbit, she led the People & Culture team through a 40% growth in headcount and successfully navigated complex challenges such as a SPAC transaction. Kent is passionate about aligning HR strategies with business objectives and creating positive work environments where employees can thrive.

Liza Stone joined Virgin Hotels as General Counsel in April 2022. As the chief legal officer of the company, Liza oversees Virgin Hotel’s domestic and international legal affairs, including corporate governance, regulatory compliance, labor and employment, intellectual property, and litigation matters.

Liza brings to Virgin Hotels over 25 years of legal experience in domestic and cross-border hospitality transactions. Prior to joining Virgin Hotels, Liza was a senior member of the Global Hospitality Group at Sidley Austin LLP, an internationally recognized law firm. At Sidley, Liza represented institutional owners, investors, and lenders as well as major hotel brands in connection with acquisitions and dispositions, financings, joint ventures, and mergers and acquisitions for hospitality assets.

Prior to Sidley, Liza worked at internationally recognized law firms, and served as Associate General Counsel of the Real Estate Healthcare Lending Group of a publicly traded commercial finance company.

Liza is also fluent in Japanese and Spanish.