Hospitality Ventures Management Group (HVMG) today announced that it has named industry veteran Gary Kunesh senior vice president and chief financial officer. In his new role, Kunesh will provide oversight of the organization’s accounting, financial reporting, tax, risk management and technology functions at both the corporate and property levels.

“With more than three decades of hospitality experience, Gary has worked with some of the biggest names in hotel ownership and operations,” said Robert Cole, founder, president and CEO of HVMG. “His extensive experience in accounting & financial reporting, managing financial operations, implementing property-level cost-saving initiatives and developing talent within the finance areas will be extremely valuable.”

Most recently, Kunesh served as vice president of financial planning and analysis with White Lodging Services, a hotel ownership/management company, where his primary responsibilities included annual business planning and budgeting; monthly, long-range forecasting; management company/board reporting; and cash flow forecast preparation for the company’s $1 billion-plus hotel portfolio. He also worked closely with ownership groups, including BRE Hotels & Resorts, Apple Hospitality REIT, RLJ Lodging Trust and Host Hotels & Resorts. Previously, he was director of finance at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Resort, a $150M operation, leading a team of 30 F&A associates. Prior to that, Kunesh held roles with increasing levels of responsibilities with Loews Hotels and Starwood Hotels & Resorts and an earlier position with White Lodging.

Kunesh also volunteers for Uplift 313, a Detroit community, which provides academic support, job training and mentoring services to individuals and families in the greater Detroit area. Kunesh earned in Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“With their culture of excellence, HVMG is a perfect fit for me, sharing my professional goals and values,” Kunesh said. “As the company continues to expand its executive depth, I look forward to growing with HVMG as it works to expand its portfolio of third-party managed hotels nationwide.”