Bob DeVries leads the Hospitality & Leisure Practice at Spencer Stuart for North America and is a core member of the Consumer Goods & Services and Real Estate practices. His work spans Fortune 500, privately held, and equity-backed firms, and focuses on board, CEO, senior management, and design/development positions.
Bob works with numerous organizations, such as Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Morgan’s Hotel Group, Exclusive Resorts, Harrah’s, Baha Mar, Tauck World Discovery, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Applebee’s, Wendy’s and Compass Group.
Prior to joining Spencer Stuart, Bob was president and chief executive officer of Grand Expeditions, a private equity–backed luxury/active tour operator providing best-in-class travel experiences across all seven continents. Before joining Grand Expeditions, Bob was vice president of brand management and special events for the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. His team developed marketing strategies and plans for core brands of Walt Disney World—theme parks, water parks, retail, dining, entertainment, recreation, and sports venues. Bob began his Disney career as director of marketing for the Disney Vacation Club (Disney’s vacation ownership product). He also served on Walt Disney World’s executive committee. He began his career in brand management with the Procter & Gamble Company, where he led large-retail and food-service businesses in the paper products and commercial services divisions.
Bob graduated from the accelerated professional management program at Albion College with a BA in economics and management. He earned his MBA in marketing and finance from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Bob and his wife, Amy, reside in Boca Raton, Florida, with their five children.