Summary:
- Marriott’s Leeny Oberg will receive the 2025 Peggy Berg Castell Award on Oct. 7.
- The award recognizes individuals who advance women in hospitality.
- Sheila Johnson, founder and CEO of Salamander Collection, received the 2024 award.
Leeny Oberg, Marriott International’s chief financial officer and executive vice president for development, will receive the 2025 Peggy Berg Castell Award at The Lodging Conference in Phoenix on Oct. 7. The award, presented by the AHLA Foundation’s ForWard initiative, recognizes individuals who advance women in hospitality.
Oberg was selected as the sixth recipient of the AHLA Foundation’s annual recognition by an independent group of industry leaders and stakeholders, the foundation said in a statement.
“Leeny Oberg’s dedication and leadership at Marriott exemplify the values this award represents,” said Kevin Carey, AHLA Foundation president and CEO. “She is a changemaker, committed to improving the industry and advancing the careers of those around her. We are thrilled to present her with this recognition.”
Oberg said she was honored to receive the Peggy Berg Castell Award.
"AHLA and the AHLA Foundation have been incredible partners to Marriott, our industry and hospitality professionals," she said. "It has been a privilege to work in a people-oriented business with colleagues and teams who make this industry unique.”
She served as Marriott’s CFO since 2013 and became EVP of development in 2023, overseeing the company’s global lodging portfolio. Before Marriott, she was CFO of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. She joined Marriott in 1999. In July 2025, Marriott announced she will retire effective March 31, 2026.
The Peggy Berg Castell Award, formerly the Castell Award, was renamed in 2022 to honor Peggy Berg, founder of the Castell Project, for her work advancing women to leadership positions in hospitality, the statement said. Its recipients are women leaders who promote professional growth in hospitality.
Sheila Johnson, founder and CEO of Salamander Collection, received the 2024 Peggy Berg Castell Award. She was also named to the 2025 Asian Hospitality Power List of the 51 Most Successful Women of Color for her work in hospitality.
