Carlson Promotes CFO Trudy Rautio to President and CEO
Carlson, a global hospitality and travel company, has promoted executive vice president (EVP), chief financial officer (CFO) and chief administrative officer (CAO) Trudy Rautio to president and chief executive officer (CEO). Rautio replaces Hubert Joly, who has been president and CEO of Carlson since 2008.
Rautio has been a senior executive with Carlson for 15 years and for the past eight years she has been responsible for directing all financial and information technology operations of the company. She serves on the boards of Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT) and The Rezidor Hotel Group – Carlson’s majority-owned hotel group in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).
Prior to her current position, Rautio served as president of Carlson Hotels Worldwide, The Americas, with overall responsibility for the operation and growth of the company’s five hotel brands in North and South America. Rautio also oversaw support areas for the organisation, including management services, sales, marketing and distribution, human resources, public relations, technology, finance, and planning and acquisitions.
Previously, Rautio served a dual role as EVP and CFO of Carlson Consumer Group plus CAO of Carlson Hospitality Worldwide. Prior to joining Carlson, Rautio was senior vice president (SVP) and CFO of Jostens. She also served as vice president of finance for Minneapolis-based Pillsbury Co.
In addition to the Carlson-related boards, Rautio also serves on the board of directors for Securian Holding Company and Imation. She participates in several finance-related organisations including the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) and Financial Executives Institute (FEI).
A graduate of Bemidji State University, Rautio holds an MBA degree from the University of St Thomas, Twin Cities. In addition, she is a certified public accountant (CPA) and a certified management accountant (CMA).