Carlson today announced the appointment of David P. Berg as chief operating officer (COO) for the company. The announcement came from Trudy Rautio, president and chief executive officer, Carlson. David will assume his role on January 13, 2014, and will report directly to Trudy. 

David has a wealth of experience in global hospitality and retail operations. Most recently, he served as CEO and chief customer service officer for the fastest growing reseller of Verizon services. Previously, he worked as executive vice president and president of Outback Steakhouse International, with full P&L responsibility for more than 200 restaurants in 20 countries, generating international system-wide revenues of more than $700 million. David also revamped franchise growth and support strategies in order to grow the total portfolio of multi-concept restaurants, which included more than 1,400 locations worldwide. 

Additionally, David has served as COO of a general nutrition retailer with 7,200 retail locations around the world and revenues of $1.8 billion. Prior to that, he was executive vice president and chief operating officer of Best Buy International, leading the $13 billion international division for the global retailer. 

David currently serves on the board of directors for Imation and the Miller Retailing Center at the University of Florida. He received a bachelor of arts degree in economics from Emory University and a law degree, with honors, from the University of Florida College of Law. 

“David brings to Carlson a broad set of leadership capabilities, including growing businesses and leading organizations through strategic change to deliver results and build long-term shareholder value,” said Trudy. “As the chief operating officer, David will work closely with me on the overall strategy for Carlson as well as key strategic initiatives. His primary area of focus will be leading and managing our global hotel business.”  

David’s direct reports will include, from Carlson: Steve Brown, senior vice president and chief information and innovation officer; and Gordon McKinnon, executive vice president and chief branding officer; and from Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group: Simon Barlow, president, Asia Pacific; Thorsten Kirschke, president, Americas;  Michael Andrew, vice president and general counsel; Bob Kleinschmidt, chief financial officer; Joy Linsday, vice president of Human Resources; and Suzy Riesterer, chief commercial officer.