Steven A. Rudnitsky has been named president and CEO of Miraval Group, tasked with leading the global expansion of the company’s luxury resort, spa and wellness portfolio. He will also support the growth of ESPA International, working in collaboration with ESPA CEO Michael Harmsworth and ESPA founder Susan Harmsworth.

Miraval and ESPA are both affiliated with KSL Capital Partners, a US private equity firm dedicated to investments in travel and leisure businesses.

“Steve Rudnitsky will marshal the resources needed to capitalise and grow the portfolios of both Miraval and ESPA,” said Michael Shannon, Miraval Group chair of the board and founder of KSL Capital Partners.

Shannon said Rudnitsky will initially concentrate on developing Miraval resorts and spas as well as ESPA spas and product sales throughout the United States.

Rudnitsky has held leadership positions with Dolce Hotels & Resorts, Wyndham Worldwide and the former Cendant Corporation, as well as consumer-goods companies including Johnson & Johnson, PepsiCo, Pillsbury, Kraft Foods and Nabisco.

“Steve built a reputation for generating strong top- and bottom-line growth, turning around distressed businesses and expanding into global markets,” Shannon said. “During his six years as president and CEO of Dolce, he built the company into a premier branded lifestyle and meetings-focused manager of hotels, resorts and corporate conference centres in the US, Canada and Europe.”

Rudnitsky repositioned Dolce, launched wellness and nutrition initiatives and served on its board of directors. He also led the company’s sale to Wyndham Worldwide in late 2014 and early 2015.

To read an interview with KSL partner Rich Weissmann, from the Issue 1 2015 edition of Spa Business, click here.