Stephanie Sonnabend

Stephanie Sonnabend

Stephanie Sonnabend is chief executive officer and president of Sonesta International Hotels Corporation, the hotel business her grandfather, A.M. Sonnabend, founded in the 1940’s. In this position, Ms. Sonnabend oversees the company’s thirty-three hotels, resorts and Nile cruises located in the United States, Sint Maarten, Egypt, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru.

Prior to becoming CEO and president in 2003, she served as Sonesta’s president since 1996, executive vice president from 1993-1995, and vice president of marketing from 1984-1992.

Ms. Sonnabend’s professional memberships include World Presidents Organization, Women Corporate Directors, Massachusetts Women’s Forum, and The Boston Club. She serves on the Board of Overseers of New England Conservatory of Music and of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. She is currently on the Board of Directors of Sonesta International Hotels Corporation and of Century Bank and Trust and Century Bancorp, where she is a member of the Audit Committee and chairs the Asset Liability Committee.

In 2005, Ms. Sonnabend helped launch Youth Micro Credit International “YMCI” with her son. This is a student run organization whose mission is to spread the word that small amounts of money loaned to people in developing countries can significantly improve their lives.

In 2010, Ms. Sonnabend founded 2020 Women on Boards, a national campaign to increase the percentage of women on U.S. company boards to 20 percent or greater by the year 2020 and define good corporate governance as having at least 20 percent women.

A magna cum laude graduate of Harvard University, Stephanie Sonnabend received her master’s degree from M.I.T.’s Sloan School of Management. Ms. Sonnabend resides in Brookline, MA, with her husband, Gregory Ciccolo.