Choice Hotels International, Inc., one of the world’s largest lodging franchisors, has appointed Megan Brumagim to the newly created role of vice president of environmental, social and governance (ESG).

In this new role, Brumagim will lead Choice’s sustainability and corporate social responsibility initiatives, championing the pillars of environmental sustainability, human rights, diversity and inclusion, philanthropic and community engagement, and corporate governance. In addition to furthering the company’s existing mission-driven initiatives – from its key partnerships such as with Operation Homefront to support service members and their families to its industry-leading efforts to enhance opportunities for minority-owned businesses and more – Brumagim will continue to develop the company’s ESG blueprint to drive alignment among key stakeholders and ensure Choice remains well-positioned to build on its corporate engagement efforts.

“Choice’s commitment to the communities in which our associates and franchisees live and work isn’t new – the company was founded upon the mainstay of community service, and this spirit is proudly fostered inside and outside of our doors each day. In the past couple of years alone, we’ve significantly expanded our sustainability efforts; worked to reduce systematic barriers to hotel ownership; and fueled action against human trafficking, including as an End Child Prostitution, Pornography and Trafficking (ECPAT) catalyst partner, but we know our work isn’t done,” said Patrick Cimerola, chief human resources officer, Choice Hotels. “Today, Choice is poised to build on these efforts, which is why we are proud to appoint Megan to the helm of this critical function. Megan is a passionate leader and a longtime champion of the Choice brand and community. This, coupled with her broad industry knowledge, makes her the ideal candidate to take our ESG program to the next level.”

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Brumagim joined Choice Hotels in 2015 as the head of the company’s flagship Comfort Hotels brand and quickly ascended to the position of vice president of brand management, design and compliance, where she oversaw the strategy and performance of Choice’s largest brands. In addition to playing a pivotal role in some of the company’s most prominent initiatives, including the transformation of the Comfort brand and the launch of the Rise and Shine prototype, Brumagim led the pandemic response for Choice’s core brands and helped develop the company’s Commitment to Clean initiative.

Throughout her successful tenure and prior to her recent appointment, Brumagim also assumed a growing role in furthering Choice’s sustainability efforts, at both the corporate and hotel levels. Most recently, she led a pilot program to begin tracking property-level energy, water and waste usage – a critical step in helping Choice Hotels owners mitigate associated costs and reduce their environmental impact.

Prior to Choice, Brumagim served as senior director of global brand management at Marriott International, and previously held positions in top consulting firms McKinsey & Company and Booz Allen Hamilton. Brumagim earned a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and a master’s in business administration from London Business School.

Source: Choice Hotels International, Inc.