International Cruise & Excursions, Inc. (ICE) has moved up on the 2018 Travel Weekly Power List! We have been honored and recognized as a top travel leader before and this year we moved from #23 on the list to #22. We could not have achieved this recognition without the hard work of everyone on our…
Read MoreVice President of Marketing Development, Ashley Wilson, has a career journey tailor-made for her current ICE role. Having cut her teeth leading Account Management and Business Development divisions for a hospitality industry focused firm, Ashley gained invaluable experience and insight serving some of the world’s most prestigious travel brands. In 2014, she brought her considerable skillset, including nearly a decade of managing skilled UI/UX teams, to ICE. Since that time, she has served as the liaison between business and technical teams, ensuring that software developed effectively meets intended business goals. Further, Ashley built the in-house web design and front-end development departments from the ground up, both vital for next level website and UI platform delivery, fashioned to maximize conversions and bolster ongoing sales.
Laurie has been with ICE for more than 18 years, building a solid foundation of expertise in B2B and B2C marketing and communications, packaged products, loyalty programs, business development and strategic account management. Laurie’s current responsibilities as Vice President of Marketing, Special Projects include ICE’s corporate and B2B marketing and communication efforts, video production and events, and special projects such as guiding and championing the evolution of ICE’s new wine program. Laurie also works closely with ICE’s WOW Program (Women on Their Way), serving as a mentor and supporting high-potential, top-performing females within ICE.
Prior to joining ICE, Laurie earned the vacation ownership industry’s coveted “Gold Ardy” award from the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) for her marketing work at Polo Towers, Las Vegas. Laurie also has over 10 years in expertise in the retail franchise industry, where she had responsibility for 17 retail locations in five Florida cities.
Patrick has 20 years of human resource experience and has worked in a variety of industries including education, technology, healthcare and insurance. Prior to joining ICE, Patrick was a key leader in compensation, benefits and HRIS for such corporations as Apollo Group, Banner Health, E-funds, Early Warning Services, Copper Point Mutual Insurance and Mobile Mini.
As the Director of Compensation and Benefits, Patrick’s focus is making ICE the best place to work, which includes the areas of base and variable compensation, HR systems, performance management, payroll and employee benefits.
When he is not crunching numbers, Patrick loves to travel to Disneyland with his wife and four children, is a scout leader, and is trying very hard to beat his daughter in basketball.
Kelly began her journey at ICE in 2004. In each position that Kelly has held with ICE over the years, she has been integral in driving and streamlining the operational functions of the Office of the President while also managing various large-scale projects and day-to-day operations in all areas of facilities, including our Blue Water Café and other employee services.
Kelly was instrumental in the recent move into our new Scottsdale Headquarters, taking a lead role in most design, construction and move related projects. Her attention to detail and creativity as well as a genuine passion for ICE and the image of this company have brought new and exciting innovations.
Bryan started his career in the timeshare industry with Shell Vacations in 1998 as the Call Center Trainer. Over the next 15 years Bryan worked his way up to National Director of Marketing where he oversaw all marketing operations across the country. He then became the Arizona Director of Marketing for Wyndham where he built their off-premise contact division in Arizona and helped Wyndham establish themselves in the market across five resorts and sales centers.
Bryan joined ICE in the summer of 2017 as the Executive Director of Business Development, where he oversees all domestic and Latin American resort accounts.
In his current role as VP of Inbound Global Cruise Sales & Service, Tom is afforded the opportunity to work with internal and external business partners and key stakeholders to continue to drive results and efficiencies. He is dedicated to providing a service that is inspired by best in class service, exceptional value, trusted relationships, and respecting our customer’s time.
Tom started his career in 1999 mastering client retention for Discover Card Financial, quickly advancing into a leadership role developing and training call center staff. He has a tremendous passion for cruising, starting at a young age, which led to his decision to join ICE in 2002. His passion for performance, ability to thrive in a fast paced environment, and desire for interdepartmental collaboration resulted in expanding his responsibilities and being promoted seven times.
Anne is a dynamic, self-motivated leader with extensive experience in high revenue markets and large team management. She possesses outstanding motivational, analytical and planning skills and excels at producing customer based business solutions and building world class customer service teams.
She has over 20 years of sales management experience as Director of Sales for Entertainment Publications and most recently as Vice President of Travel Sales and Services for ICE. Anne is a classically trained singer who also enjoys reading, writing, meditation and spending time with her husband and their daughter Gillian.
With over 25 years of experience in technology Peter joined ICE in 2017 and serves as the VP of Software Development. Peter has critical experience creating and managing technology teams creating world class software.
Prior to ICE Peter successfully ran large enterprise software development teams in Healthcare, Logistics and E-Learning, including several successful technology startups. Peter has lived in Arizona for 20 years and is originally from Australia.
In addition to his work at ICE Peter is a pilot and flight instructor.
As Vice President of Information Technology, Dan is responsible for overseeing the global on premise and cloud-based infrastructure, telecommunications and information security organizations.
With 27 years in IT, Dan is a technology visionary with executive and hands-on experience in automating multi-billion dollar enterprises. With a strong record of success in creating robust IT architectures and infrastructures for Fortune 500 companies like Bank of America, Chase Bank and Visa, Dan has a proven ability to bring the benefits of IT to solve business issues while managing costs and risks.
Brian is a digital media pioneer as well as an international speaker, author, professor, and consultant with over 20 years of experience. Brian launched the first social media agency in the Northwest, developed the Digital Marketing Certificate for a major university, and has delivered workshops on several continents. He has launched hundreds of new products and brands from household names that include Toyota, HP, Weyerhaeuser, and Microsoft as well as dozens of startups. Brian is also a faculty member at several universities, a serial entrepreneur, and has written articles for industry publications.
Brian heads up all digital marketing efforts at ICE including search marketing, social media, email, marketing automation, mobile marketing, content marketing, online display, and more.
Throughout her 7 years at ICE, Michelle has been closely involved with the Brand and Product Marketing teams to drive strategic, multimedia marketing plans across a variety of key accounts. She most recently developed and managed B2B and B2C branding, communications, marketing and media for ICE initiatives across the globe. In her current role, Michelle is responsible for spearheading membership and consumer marketing initiatives that provide high-value product offerings to our ICE business partners and their customers, in addition to developing new programs that drive company growth and success.
During her tenure at ICE, Michelle has won the prestigious President’s Choice Employee of the Year Award for her contributions to the company as well as the WOW Award (Women on Their Way), which recognizes high-potential, top-performing females within ICE.
Say “hola” to ICE’s Mexico Management Director, Gabriela Gonzales! With over 20 years of marketing, sales, and product development experience across a variety of industries and markets, Gabriela joined the ICE team in 2014. Prior to ICE, Gabriela held key roles with global organizations such as Royal Caribbean International and American Express. In her current role as ICE’s Mexico Management Director, Gabriela brings her strong global business development and international work experience to the organization, making her the ideal leader in spearheading ICE operations in Mexico. Her work in implementing long-term marketing strategies and driving organizational growth in the Mexico market has and will continue to help ICE to remain a global leader in the travel and leisure industry.
ICE Senior Vice President of Business Development & International Marketing, Marlene Reyes, joined the organization in 2013. Bringing nearly 15 years of experience in both the marketing and the hospitality industries, including key management roles for Caesars Entertainment Corporation. Marlene’s depth of knowledge and experience with loyalty and membership marketing makes her an invaluable asset to the ICE team.
Because of her energy and passion, Marlene quickly moved to a key leadership role, and in her current position, when she isn’t collecting coffee mugs with sassy remarks on them, Marlene leads business development initiatives, defining innovative, high-value opportunities that drive growth for ICE as well as ICE partners. She also has responsibility for ICE’s international marketing teams and initiatives in the UK, Mexico, Portugal and India. Marlene is also proud to work closely with ICE’s WOW Program (Women on Their Way), and serve as a mentor supporting high-potential, top-performing females within ICE.
Vice President of Information Technology and ICE’s designated IT guru, Brian Spitler joined ICE in 2014. As a senior leader with over 20 years of expertise, his depth of knowledge across a broad range of technologies and departments allows him to be successful in driving and managing ICE’s daily operations across worldwide infrastructures, servers, and service desks, in addition to being responsible for a multitude of network upgrades, enhancing and stabilizing the ICE Infrastructure, cost savings and efficiencies discovery, and PCI Compliance efforts for worldwide operations. His vast understand of information technology and the current needs of a worldwide organization of ICE’s size allow the organization to continue to grow and innovate within the industry.
Meet our cruise guru! With over 20 years of business planning, reporting, and analysis in the hospitality industry, ICE’s Vice President of Cruise and Tour Product Acquisition, Operations and Analysis, Noriye Oto is a dynamic, results-driven executive who is uniquely skilled with a high proficiency in strategic and operational planning, international business, financial analysis, and budgeting.
Since joining the ICE team in 2007, she has had a proven record of achievement in establishing strategies to improve revenue and profitability, including successfully transitioning the organization’s core cruise business from a one dimensional exchange model to a complex, tactical promotional model, enhancing member benefits in order to remain competitive in the changing industry landscape.
In addition to developing the strategic cruise line relationship role within the organization, Noriye has also successfully engineered the expansion of ICE’s North American tour/guided vacation product.
Vice President of Travel Products, Mark Wilson, has been part of the ICE team for over the 10 years, holding a variety of leadership roles in Marketing, Product, Creative Services, and Account Management. Mark brings over 20 years of travel & marketing experience including executive roles with Sabre Holdings, Travelocity, Global Vacation Group, Certified Vacations, and Alamo Rent A Car. Mark also previously served as Executive Vice President of eCommerce for RazorGator Interactive Group. Mark holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Advertising from the University of Florida.
In 2014, Mark received a life-saving heart transplant, working part-time as a consultant for ICE only months after the successful operation. Mark returned to ICE full-time in early 2016 as Vice President of Travel Products. Mark is married with two children and is an active volunteer and advocate for Donate Life Arizona.
Vice President of Memberships, Chris Cole, began his career with ICE in 2005. During his tenure, he’s successfully held various roles within the organization, gaining insight into the ICE’s business model, product offerings, and future opportunities. As a consistent top producer for the organization, Chris soon took on a management role, helping to develop develop successful sales processes and mentor new team members. In his current role, Chris oversees large-scale sales operations, continuing to support proven sales strategies while also innovatively identifying new opportunities and developing new techniques. His proven track record of building sales departments, organizational leadership and business management, as well as strategic business planning continue to make Chris a valuable member of the ICE team.
Jeffrey Dixon, who recently joined ICE in 2015 with over 20 years of hospitality, resort, and timeshare experience, has held key leadership roles in world-class organizations, including Vacation Village Resorts and RCI International. In his role as ICE’s Vice President of Strategic Account Management, Jeff will be responsible for managing the key business and working relationships along with the organization’s leading Vacation Club partnerships, including: Marriott; Wyndham; Hilton; Holiday Inn Vacation Club; DRI Vacation Club, etc. He works with key ICE partners and senior leadership members provide enterprise-wide vision and leadership to enhance ICE’s current and new book of business.
As a 27-year veteran in the technology industry with previous executive positions held at world-renowned hotel organizations including the Cosmopolitan and MGM Mirage, Kris has valuable experience providing enterprise-wide information technology vision and leadership, fostering innovation to enhance member services and operations for world-class private and public companies.
With her experience in building cutting-edge loyalty, rewards, offer management and CRM systems, Kris has a successful track record defining technology strategies that drive bottom line growth and achieve business goals. Her reputation for implementing transformational changes in a complex technical environment are well known and result in delivering a stable, reliable infrastructure.
Our resident coffee and tea expert, Jordan Elliott, joined the ICE UK office in 2011. Having several years of experience in product and commercial ecommerce within the travel industry, Jordan was the perfect fit to manage ICE’s ecommerce needs from across the pond. With his highly-motivated and solutions-driven attitude, Jordan quickly moved to Director of Internet Marketing for ICE UK before the red, white, and blue requested his expertise at the ICE headquarters in the United States as Executive Director of Marketing. After more than a year of success within the role, it was clear that Jordan’s depth-of-knowledge and innovative spirit wasn’t something we could just keep to ourselves, and thus, Jordan returned to the UK as Commercial Director of ICE EMEIA (Europe, Middle East, India, Africa). In his current role, Jordan is responsible for driving and maintaining a consistent trajectory of growth for the ICE Europe business through project management, negotiation, market research, and marketing. He focuses on achieving strategic business goals and sales revenue growth by managing and directing the ICE European team, including Product, Marketing, Technology, Development and Operations.
This is not the composer you’re looking for. Though our John Williams may not have composed Star Wars or Jurassic Park, he has been instrumental in driving invaluable financial initiatives across the ICE galaxy. As current Chief Financial & Commercial Director of ICE Asia Pacific, John is located in ICE Asia Pacific office in the Gold Coast of Australia and has been a part of the organization since 2006.
After spending his first nine years within the organization as Chief Financial Officer at the ICE headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona, John’s current role includes being a key driver in running the operations and advising on financial matters pursuant to the ICE Asia Pacific efforts and initiatives. John works closely with various key leaders to guide the ICE Australia financial investment strategy, strategic business development matters, vendor relations, financial remodeling and projections, and various other valuable financial, legal, and operational initiatives for ICE Asia Pacific.
Jack, who prefers to go by his other name, Starlord, joined ICE in 2015 as Senior Vice President of Strategic Business Development. When he isn’t saving the universe, he’s right here at ICE, overseeing the development of new programs and partnerships in several business verticals as well as providing executive business management for both current and new independent resort partner accounts.
Jack’s career spans over 20 years, specializing in marketing and advertising for the hospitality, vacation ownership, and professional sports industries. Jack was a founding partner in Strategic Alliance Marketing, LLC, a leading company in market research and direct marketing for the hospitality and professional sports industries. Jack later joined Wyndham® Vacation Ownership as their Vice President of Marketing for Arizona, Southern California and Mexico. Jack’s skills and experience have already proven instrumental in providing dynamic growth within our current resort partnerships in addition to developing new domestic and international resort alliances.
If he looks cool and talks cool, he must be Nick Kuhl! Nick joined the ICE family in 2010, bringing more than 25 years of both domestic and international call center experience to the team. Nick quickly showed his ability to motivate sales staff, improve efficiencies, and drive results, which led to his current position where he is responsible for global inbound sales and operations for cruise, travel, and lifestyle products. Nick has had a tremendous impact on sales efficiencies and bottom-line results through the implementation of innovative process improvements, ongoing training programs, and leadership development.
Nick began his career as a call center agent with the TruGreen® organization in 1988 and made his way up to General Manager with full P&L responsibilities for his market. In 2001, Nick ventured into the resort and leisure industry, spending the next eight years managing marketing and call center operations for Marriott Vacation Club International (MVCI). During his tenure with Marriott, Nick was part of a team that successfully launched MVCI’s Asia Pacific Division with sales operations located in Singapore, Thailand, Japan, and Hong Kong. His strong leadership abilities and extensive call center operations experience will help continue to guide ICE in providing world-class service in a high-growth environment.
Bart joined ICE in 2013, following a highly successful, 19-year career as the executive in charge of building national digital and direct response TV campaigns, fueling the growth of a national sales-force for one of the largest franchised direct sales organizations in North America – increasing profitability by more than 350% over a three-year period.
As ICE’s Chief Commercial Officer, Bart has full P&L responsibilities over the commercial brand audiences; including the strategy of marketing, sales, customer service and operations; tasked with driving business growth and increased market share within each brand.
Senior VP of Operations
John serves as Senior Vice President of Operations at International Cruise & Excursions, Inc. He is responsible for product acquisition, supply chain management, and fulfillment for ICE’s lifestyle products, including merchandise, wine, golf, and spa.
His extensive background in supply chain and operations management has been an integral part of ICE’s growth in lifestyle products. Prior to ICE, John was the Vice President of Operations for DirectBuy, a consumer buying club organization, and was responsible for the supply chain and corporate service organization, where he oversaw the establishment of key metrics and investments in core technologies to provide DirectBuy with an infrastructure that allowed it to dramatically improve its order fulfillment on almost $1 billion in retail equivalent sales
Lisa joined ICE in 2000 after seven years as the highly regarded Western Regional Sales Director for renowned Cunard Line®. Using her in-depth understanding of the cruise industry, Lisa became an immediate asset to ICE, rapidly advancing through positions from Cruise Market Analyst to Vice President of Product Acquisition and Yield Management to her current role as Senior Vice President of Global Business Development, where she is directly responsible for driving new business as well as ensuring the success of our current partners in EMEAI (Europe, Middle East, Africa and India).
Lisa’s team of business development professionals has grown and strengthened ICE’s vast array of travel partner relationships around the world. Lisa’s passion for the industry as a whole drives her relentless efforts to exceed the expectations of our discerning partners and their members for quality, service, value and choices in cruises, resorts and destinations worldwide.
Ross joined ICE in 2003, and as Chief Strategy Officer, focuses his initiatives on setting the product innovation agenda for ICE in an ever-changing world of digital marketing and new product ideation. Ross is also responsible for optimizing ICE’s marketing CRM and software platform, Marketo, and developing a complete marketing ecosystem that combines speed, scalability and the most cutting-edge marketing solutions.
Ross has earned the Company several international business awards for his innovative solutions, and in 2012, the American Resort Developer’s Association recognized Ross as International Marketing Executive of the Year.
Stuart has been an indispensable member of the ICE team since 2002. He served as the Vice President & Director of Operations in Australia, the first ICE affiliate in Asia Pacific and the first to successfully introduce ICE products to the Malaysian market. After 10 years in Australia, Stuart became Senior Vice President and General Manager of the United Kingdom operations where today he manages day-to-day operations of a staff of more than 40 people, leads business development pursuits and manages current accounts.
Previously, Stuart served with many global vacation membership businesses and resorts including Tanco Resorts Berhad, where he was the Vice President of Operations & Business Development for their operations in Malaysia, the United Kingdom and Australia.
As an experienced professional who has excelled in the tourism industry for more than 30 years, Stuart has served as a board member of the Australian Timeshare & Holiday Ownership Council (ATHOC) and is currently on the board of the Resort Development Organisation (Europe) (RDO).
In his time off from enjoying the gorgeous views on the Gold Coast of Australia, CEO and Director of ICE Asia Pacific, Kevin Sharp has been a part of ICE operations in the Asia Pacific Region and designated ICE Aussie for more than 15 years, building a solid and robust business and global presence. In his role, Kevin oversees the ICE Southeast Asia and the Pacific organization with additional satellite offices located in Singapore and New Zealand.
Kevin has a diverse background in the management and ownership of hotels and resorts, along with holding prior positions in property investment and corporate management throughout his career. Previously, he spent several years in Asia with Awani Hotels & Resorts heading up a diverse club that operates multi-destination golf courses, theme parks, hotels, resorts, and two cruise ships.
With more than 20 years of C-level experience, Christine Aguilera joined ICE as CFO in February of 2015.
Prior to ICE, Christine held a number of C-level positions with SkyMall®, including President of this iconic brand for over 10 years. At SkyMall, Christine organically grew sales to over $250M by developing and marketing a technology-driven, white-label merchandise solution for some of the most well-regarded loyalty organizations in the world, including Marriott, Capital One, Caesars Entertainment and Merrill Lynch. Christine was outside counsel to SkyMall’s IPO and led SkyMall through three sales, including two private equity investments.
In addition to her accounting experience, Christine has been an attorney for 25 years and has served on a variety of boards.
One of ICE’s OGs, Ted’s been an ICE team member since the company’s inception in 1997. As ICE’s Global Technology Director and CTO, Ted has successfully led the development of ICE’s original technical infrastructure and is currently leading the architecture and ongoing development of ICE’s Next Generation technology, a valuable initiative that supports our growing customer base and diverse product offerings in the industry.
Prior to joining ICE, Ted was Director of the Phoenix Division of the Advanced Technology Group of Wang Labs, where he received two U.S. patents for retrieval technologies. He was also co-founder of Sonoran Technologies, which specialized in high-end document management solutions for the corporate market.
Jeremy began his career with ICE in 1998, bringing extensive experience to the organization’s Senior Leadership Team. Jeremy has held several significant leadership roles at ICE; demonstrating a successful track record in defining sales strategies that drive bottom line growth and achievement of business goals.
As Chief Sales Officer, Jeremy is responsible for more than 1,500 team members across seven sales centers around the world. Under Jeremy’s leadership, the ICE sales center continues to secure dozens of industry awards and accolades each year, including international recognitions for innovation, product design, customer experience, recruiting and retention.
Marcia Rowley, together with her husband, John, co-founded ICE in 1997, introducing its original Cruise Exchange program. Marcia was responsible for forging the initial cruise vendor agreement with Carnival Cruise Line®, as well as developing the original strategic alliances with high-quality resorts in the US, Mexico and Europe. These relationships transformed the ICE business from concept into reality.
As owner and COO, Marcia plays an integral role in ICE’s worldwide marketing, operations and key account management. In 2006, ICE debuted at #1 on The Phoenix Business Journal’s list of Top Women- Owned Businesses. Since then, due to Marcia’s unique vision and incredible leadership, ICE has been consistently recognized as a top leisure and loyalty organization internationally.
John Rowley co-founded ICE in 1997 with his wife, Marcia.
Prior to co-founding ICE, John spent many years developing high-tech software companies and also worked for several tech giants, including Intel®, Computer Sciences Corporation and Tektronix®. John also directed the successful start-up of Phoenix-based MiniSoft, Inc., a leading legal software and services company.
As CEO, John leads the Company’s strategic vision and fosters an entrepreneurial culture that rewards passion and innovation. John’s expertise in technology leadership and global business development, coupled with Marcia’s commitment to excellence and execution, is what continues to make ICE a leader in the leisure loyalty and rewards market.
AMERICAN RESORT DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION (ARDA) AWARDS
ARDA ACE CIRCLE OF EXCELLENCE
ARDY GOLD AWARD
STEVIE AWARDS
The American Legion’s Operation Comfort Warriors (OCW) program is dedicated to meeting the needs of wounded, injured or ill military personnel by providing them with comfort items not usually supplied by the government. OCW ensures that patients at U.S. military hospitals and warrior transition units are given items like sweat suits, DVDs, puzzles, electronic devices, books, calling cards and more.
ICE Supports Operation Comfort Warrior through its Government Vacation Rewards brands as well as employee support through fundraising. ICE also has a large amount of veterans who work at ICE and are very involved with our military brands and supporting OCW.
For more than 40 years, A New Leaf has been helping local Phoenix families through homeless and domestic violence shelters and services, youth residential programs, foster care programs, behavioral health services and affordable housing communities.
Every year, ICE employees hold an Operation Fill a Backpack school supply drive and a ’Tis the Season holiday gift drive in which thousands of dollars in donations are raised for new clothing, linens, games, electronics and other items for A New Leaf’s shelters and clients.
Phoenix Animal Care Coalition 911 (PACC911) is a cooperative, interactive coalition of more than 100 animal welfare organizations across the state of Arizona. The organization provides opportunities for partners to work together for the benefit of animals through fundraising, adoption events, education, a food bank, and medical aid.
ICE employees raise funds for PACC911 through several “Pet Projects,” including participation in the annual Adopt-a-Thon, general fundraisers, as well as internal pet adoptions and an annual employee Pet Pageant.
Christel House International, a non-profit organization dedicated to transforming the lives of impoverished children around the world, offers a robust K-12 education and a strong character development program. The charity provides access to regular healthcare, nutritious meals, guidance counseling, career planning, family assistance and work-study support.
For more than a decade, ICE has held raffles, auctions, special events and holiday celebrations that support the work of this charitable organization. ICE also supports and funds the work-study program for Christel House Mexico, with employees hosting interns from the country every summer prior to their entry into college.
Handling over 6 million inbound and outbound calls annually, our world-class fulfillment operations are focused on the sales, fulfillment, and customer service of travel and lifestyle-based benefits for our partners and their customers. ICE is proud to provide:
Our proprietary technology platforms and private branded call centers are designed to support customers using alternative currencies. These multi-tiered, high-value travel-based programs are anchored by a sophisticated CRM system that manages memberships, loyalty programs, and alternative currency use, as well as providing:
International Cruise & Excursions, Inc. (ICE) delivers its travel and leisure incentive products in a variety of options:
Our loyalty and member programs provide consumers with access to travel and lifestyle benefits while using loyalty rewards and redemption. With our integrated, ICE-funded currency called Savings Credits, we provide cash credit savings on tens of thousands of travel and lifestyle products. Our unique travel and lifestyle member benefits can help increase:
Utilizing our exclusive and proprietary rates on travel and leisure products, International Cruise & Excursions, Inc. (ICE) funds consumer savings through various alternative loyalty currency programs including: