Gary Murakami, GTP, GLP, CMP, CMM, DES is the Vice President of Sales and Industry Relations for Teneo Hospitality Group representing a distinct collection of more than 350+ independent and small branded hotels and resorts and DMCs worldwide.  A seasoned hospitality sales executive and innovative strategic leader with expertise in the hotel and convention management industries, Gary is responsible for raising awareness for Teneo Hospitality Group, as well as developing and maintaining key client partnerships in his strategic territories with the corporate, association, and intermediary/third party segments.  Gary’s sales background includes previous sales and leadership positions with MGM Resorts International, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, and Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts in the group, leisure, and business travel segments.
Gary maintains several industry-recognized certifications and designations including his Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) certification from the Events Industry Council (EIC), in addition to the Global Travel Professional (GTP) certification and Global Leadership Professional (GLP) designation and certification from Global Business Travel Association (GBTA).  He also received his Certificate in Meeting Management (CMM) offered through Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and his Digital Event Strategist (DES) certification from PCMA. In 2022, Gary was recognized as part of the inaugural CMP-Fellows by Events Industry Council.

An active member in the global meetings, events and travel industry community, Gary has held a variety of leadership director and committee roles with several industry associations both locally and nationally. He is currently serving on the MPI Foundation as a Global Board of Trustee, in addition to the Corporate Event Marketing Association (CEMA) Advisory Board and the Executive Board for the LGBT Meeting Professionals Association. Gary also serves on the Events Industry Council Equity Task Force and provides his volunteerism towards the community of APIEventProfs to amplify the visibility and representation of API event industry professionals. He also recently served three-year terms as a Board of Trustee on the PCMA Foundation and a Board of Director for PCMA and was recognized with the Groundbreaker Award at PCMA Visionary Awards in 2023.

On a local and regional level, Gary was a Past President on the Board of Directors for MPI Northern California Chapter and had served on this board for several years in other Director and Vice President roles.  Gary was also recognized by the overall organization MPI in 2019 with the distinguished RISE “Meeting Industry Leadership” Award for his contributions to advance the global meetings and events industry community through his sustained commitment and substantial contributions.  In 2022, Gary was also recognized in celebration of MPI 50’th anniversary as one of “Most Influential Members of MPI”. His involvement with MPI committees continues with his participation on the Diversity & Equity & Inclusion committee for the past several years.

Within the area of business and corporate travel, Gary has been a longtime active member of the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) and has been involved with WINiT, an initiative to drive positive change and career mobility for women in the travel industry. GBTA recognized Gary with its distinguished “Allied Member of the Year” award in 2021.