The Board of Directors of Luxury Retreats' parent company is composed of an experienced blend of in-house and external expertise:
Joe Poulin
President and Chief Executive Officer
Joe Poulin has been the President and CEO of Luxury Retreats since he founded the company in 1999. Mr. Poulin has taken his start-up – which originally listed just four properties, had no employees and was located in his bedroom – and turned it into one of the world’s largest villa rental specialists. His entrepreneurial rise and achievements have been chronicled in the media and his vision and success have made him one of the most respected leaders in the industry.
Peter Kern
Peter M. Kern has been a Director of Luxury Retreats since August 2007. He is also a Director of Expedia and is Managing Director of InterMedia Partners, a private equity firm that invests in media companies. Prior to joining InterMedia, Mr. Kern was Senior Managing Director and Principal of Alpine Capital LLC, a media investment and advisory firm. Mr. Kern also founded Gemini Associates in 1996 and served as its President from its inception through its merger with Alpine. Prior to founding Gemini Associates, Mr. Kern was at the Home Shopping Network and Whittle Communications. Mr. Kern holds a B.S. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Chris Arsenault
A Managing Partner at iNovia Capital, Chris Arsenault has worked as an early stage investor and entrepreneur for the past twenty years. Joining the Luxury Retreats board in 2012, Mr. Arsenault is an active board member of the Canadian Venture Capital Association (CVCA), co-chair of the Canadian Innovation Exchange (CIX) and is active Charter Member of the Silicon Valley based C100. With an extensive background in Software, Mobile and Consumer Internet technology, Mr. Arsenault brings to Luxury Retreats a belief that Entrepreneurship is a “state of mind,” and thus part of one’s core. According to Mr. Arsenault, entrepreneurship is not a profession; an entrepreneur has unique character traits that enable him/her to do amazing and impossible things.
Hugh Crean
An Entrepreneur in Residence at General Catalyst Partners, Hugh Crean specializes in consumer online businesses. Mr. Crean is the former President and CEO of Farecast, a smart travel search site acquired by Microsoft in 2008, and later served as General Manager / Principal Engineering Manager on the development and launch of Microsoft’s Bing Travel. Joining the Luxury Retreats board in 2012, Mr. Crean’s past leadership experience include his roles as Senior Vice President of Business Development with National Leisure Group (NLG), Vice President of Product and Corporate Development at Priceline, and Vice President of Strategic Analysis for Citigroup’s Advanced Development/e-Citi division.
Bertrand Cesvet
Bertrand Cesvet is chairman and senior partner of the award-wining creative global boutique Sid Lee, named by Forbes as one of the Top 5 Performing agencies of 2011. Mr. Cesvet is the Founding Partner of Cirque du Soleil Lifestyle Group and sits on the board of directors for the ONE DROP Foundation, an initiative of Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté. In his 14 years with Sid Lee, Mr. Cesvet has provided creative and strategic leadership for world-renowned brands including Adidas, Cirque du Soleil, Red Bull, and MGM Grand. A champion of word-of-mouth marketing, Mr. Cesvet is the author of the best-selling business book Conversation Capital: How to Create Stuff People Love to Talk About.