Marloes Knippenberg is known as a pioneer of the modern mixed-use developments philosophy that lies at the heart of lifestyle destinations revolving around personalized experiences for all. Her visionary leadership has helped carve an industry niche where ESG rests at the core of operations, business processes, as well as the whole value chain of suppliers, owners, guests, and teams.

Amplifying the Kerten Hospitality brand from one brand in one country, seven years ago to a global lifestyle group with over 49+ projects, Marloes has always remained loyal to her mission – to continue expanding the lifestyle footprint across curated lifestyle destinations, to build collaborations with a common purpose driving all stakeholders, and building longevity of projects by empowering the businesses and the communities in which these projects are immersed. She is unafraid to rethink spaces, to fight classical industry norms, and to inspire teams to collaboratively drive cross-industry partnerships for real impact.

Her journey in hospitality started with Hilton, where Marloes held senior operational and commercial management positions for over a decade. But her greatest passion has been consistently nurturing young talents, advocating industry transformation, and inspiring teams and peers to embrace a more sustainable and inclusive agenda for people, communities, and guests. As a vivid supporter of a greener and more inclusive constantly evolving industry, she serves as an ambassador of the global Hospitality Student Challenge by HotelSchool the Hague, a platform where the investment community and the brighter minds of tomorrow connect, challenge each other, and recreate the future of hospitality. She sits on advisory boards of flagship forums and global industry entities where she is often invited to be a thought leadership contributor and cross-industries collaborator, bringing multiple stakeholders and decision-makers together.

In the last three years, Marloes has been listed in the region’s leading Power Lists ranking the most influential industry professionals, and her innovative and purposeful leadership has been further recognized by global industry enterprises.