Operations Director

Pinnacle Live strengthens executive team with two senior appointments to support national growth. ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL, June 24, 2026 - Pinnacle Live, a leading in-house audiovisual and event production partner for hotels in North America, today announced the appointments of Kenneth Preston as Chief Human Resources Officer and April Urbine as Senior Vice President of Venue Sales. The dual appointments reflect the company's continued investment in leadership infrastructure - building both the people foundation and the commercial engine required to sustain its next phase of growth. The appointments follow the recent announcement of Paul Lowenthal as Chief Operating Officer and Felicia Hamerman as Chief Marketing Officer, marking the company's latest wave of senior leadership investment as it scales to meet growing demand from hotel partners nationwide. "We are building one of the strongest leadership teams in this industry, and Kenneth and April are exactly the caliber of leaders that ambition demands," said Natalie De Fazio, CEO of Pinnacle Live. "Kenneth gives us the HR foundation to attract and develop the talent that makes every client experience exceptional. April gives us a proven sales leader who has spent her career building the kinds of deep, trust-based relationships that define how we operate." Kenneth Preston - Chief Human Resources Officer As CHRO, Kenneth Preston will lead the end-to-end HR strategy, including international HR operations, talent, organizational design, and culture for Pinnacle Live. He joins the company following a distinguished 14-year career at Amazon, where he served in progressive executive HR leadership roles and collaborated alongside some of the industry's foremost global businesses and technology experts. Most recently, Kenneth served as HR Director within Amazon's Devices & Services including Alexa, Echo and Health Technology businesses as well as leading the Devices and Services international HR organizations. Known for aligning people strategy directly with business growth agendas, his tenure also included leading HR for Global Delivery Services encompassing but not limited to Last Mile Delivery, Global Mile and associated technology teams. He has led international expansions across Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Prior to Amazon, Kenneth held progressive leadership roles at Visteon Corporation and Honeywell Specialty Materials. He is an alumnus of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and Frostburg State University. "What drew me to Pinnacle Live is a culture that is already winning," said Kenneth Preston, Chief Human Resources Officer. "This company has a clear identity, a strong sense of purpose, and real momentum in the market. The organizations that thrive during periods of aggressive expansion are those that build the talent, skills, and infrastructure to scale seamlessly. My job is to ensure our people strategy matches that ambition - attracting exceptional talent, investing in our teams, and building the infrastructure that allows Pinnacle Live to scale while preserving what makes Pinnacle Live great." April Urbine - Senior Vice President of Venue Sales April Urbine brings more than three decades of hospitality sales leadership to Pinnacle Live. A results-driven executive known for building high-performing sales teams and cultivating lasting client relationships, April has led sales strategy across some of the industry's most recognized brands and portfolios. She spent 23 years at Wyndham, rising from VP of Property Sales to VP of Global Sales - a tenure that gave her deep expertise in national account management, brand strategy, and scaling commercial teams across diverse markets. April then served for a decade as SVP of Venue Sales at ClubCorp (now Invited), leading sales across a diverse portfolio of private country clubs, business clubs, and stadium clubs. Most recently, she served as National Director of Sales & Marketing at Red Roof Inn, part of Westmont Hospitality's 750-hotel portfolio. At Pinnacle Live, April leads the venue sales teams that serve meeting planners and event clients across the company's hotel portfolio, while deepening the collaborative relationships that define Pinnacle Live's approach to hotel partnerships. "Pinnacle Live has built something genuinely different in this industry," said April Urbine, Senior Vice President of Venue Sales. "Hotel partners deserve a real choice - a partner who shows up as an extension of their team, not just a vendor. I've spent my career building those kinds of relationships, and I'm excited to bring that approach to a company that has made it their competitive identity." Pinnacle Live has differentiated itself through a partner-first operating model, embedding its teams within hotel properties as an extension of each hotel's brand and service culture. The appointments of Preston and Urbine continue that investment - and reflect the scale of what Pinnacle Live is building. Having grown from 45 venues to more than 200 hotels and resorts in three years - including the New York Marriott Marquis, Fontainebleau Miami Beach, and JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort & Spa - the company is deepening the leadership bench required to sustain that momentum and deliver a consistently elevated experience across the most iconic venues in hospitality.

CHICAGO, April 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ - Pinnacle Live has appointed Richard Maranville as Chief Technology Officer.