Rena Reiss, Executive VP, General Counsel and Secretary of Hyatt Hotel Corporation.

RENA HOZORE REISS WAS APPOINTED EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT and general counsel at Bethesda, Maryland-based Marriott International Inc. on Dec. 4. From August 2010 through October 2017, she was executive vice president, general counsel and secretary for Hyatt Hotels Corp., based in Chicago. Both Marriott and Hyatt are global hospitality companies. Reiss graduated from Princeton University and Harvard Law School. Prior to joining Hyatt, she worked at Marriott for 10 years as a hotel development lawyer. Earlier, she worked at Counts & Kanne in Washington, D.C., and was an associate general counsel at the Miami Herald Publishing Co. She started her legal career at Thomson, Muraro, Razook & Hart in Miami. "I love the fact that I learn something new every day," she said when asked about what she enjoys about her role. "There is no boring day as the general counsel of a global hospitality company. And although I'm originally from the East Coast, I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Chicago—great cultural scene, great food scene and a wonderful civic sensibility that Hyatt and I are plugged in to. And I've been lucky to be in Chicago for two Blackhawks Stanley Cups and the Cubs' historic World Series win." Marriott operates, franchises and licenses more than 6,400 properties in 126 countries and territories. Hyatt operates, franchises and licenses 739 properties in 57 countries.

LEGAL TEAM: The Hyatt legal department is made up of some 35 attorneys and 16 legal managers and directors, as well as administrative assistants and other support staff. It is generally divided into four practice groups: real estate development and corporate transactions, operations (including hotel operations, labor and employment, intellectual property, and information technology), litigation and compliance and governance. "Most professionals have general areas of expertise, although the nature of the work demands collaboration with colleagues in the department and throughout the company, and a willingness to dive into new areas and develop new expertise as needed," Reiss said. "At Hyatt, I oversaw our risk management team, as well as our corporate transactions team. The risk management team places the company's lines of insurance for owned and managed hotels worldwide and is responsible for overseeing Hyatt's captive insurance company. The corporate transactions team takes the commercial lead in implementing and managing asset and capital transactions, including management of joint venture interests, modifications to management and franchise agreements in connection with sales of hotels and otherwise, and work-outs, restructurings, and bankruptcies," she said. "As corporate secretary, I had a direct reporting relationship to the board of directors and worked with the board on both substantive and administrative matters. The legal department handles as much of the work as we can in-house. Because of our intimate knowledge of the business and our relationships with our clients on the business side, there is great efficiency and efficacy in handling matters in-house."

OUTSIDE COUNSEL: Hyatt typically uses outside counsel for matters requiring "specialized expertise and/or as a 'safety valve' for overflow work," Reiss said. "Hyatt lawyers remain engaged on every matter and are the primary point of contact for outside counsel."

TYPICAL DAY: "A typical day is one in which priorities shift constantly and for every matter crossed off the to-do list, two items are added," Reiss said. "I have been fortunate to have the help of a fabulous assistant who is a master at juggling my calendar and making sure I am available to my colleagues in senior management and members of my legal team as needed." At Hyatt, much of her business travel involved visiting teams and business clients in places like Zurich, Hong Kong, Beijing and Delhi, and visiting many of the hotels.

PERSONAL: "My husband is a journalist. My son is a design engineer and my daughter graduated from law school last spring and is currently doing the first of two federal clerkships," Reiss said.

LAST BOOK READ: "Anything Is Possible" by Elizabeth Strout and "A Gentleman in Moscow" by Amor Towles.

PRIORITIES AS GENERAL COUNSEL: "The health, well-being (psychic and intellectual) and development of my team," she said. "And ensuring that the legal department is seen as a partner to the business rather than an obstacle."