GLOBAL LEISURE PARTNERS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Assistant Accountant / UK
Louisa joined Global Leisure Partners in January 2018 as an Assistant Accountant working alongside the CFO to assist with the financial and accounting affairs of the company.
Prior to joining the company, Louisa worked in the Retail, Care and Hospitality industries as an Accounts Assistant.
Louisa received a BA Hons in Accounting and Finance from the University of Kent, Canterbury.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director Chief Compliance, Financial & Administrative Officer
Maja Spalevic joined Global Leisure Partners in April 2006. She is the Chief Financial Officer of the company and responsible for day to day activity of the finance function and managing the finance strategic direction of the organisation.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Chief Executive Officer
Mark Harms is the Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Global Leisure Partners. Mark has been involved in all aspects of GLP since inception in 2004 and has pioneered its strategic direction. This has led to GLP advising on c $60 billion of transactions to date, deploying significant capital as principal in a number of deals and developing an industry leading Operating Executive Network. Mark divides his time equally between the U.S. and the U.K.
Mark has significant experience in the leisure sector having completed advisory and principal transactions in North and South America, Europe and Australia over the last 20 years. With over 100 completed advisory engagements and with more than half of these in the fitness, gaming, hospitality and leisure industries, Mark brings a deep understanding and knowledge regarding the competitive strategies of the major companies in each industry sector. In addition, Mark has extensive experience with regard to leveraged debt, mezzanine and equity financing techniques in Europe and the U.S. with over US$100bn in completed transactions. Mark has a strong knowledge of financing markets worldwide, significant restructuring expertise and is also highly experienced in cross-border transactions. Mark is also a Non-Executive Board Member of 24Hr Fitness in the US.
Prior to founding GLP, he previously worked at Oppenheimer as a Managing Director and at CIBC as Global Head of the Gaming, Lodging, and Leisure Group as well as the Head of the Consumer Growth Group. Under his leadership Oppenheimer and CIBC developed a global reputation for financing and advisory excellence and leading market shares in each of the key financing product lines. Mr. Harms has a BA (Honors) from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the University of Chicago. He is fluent in German.
Job Titles:
- Non Executive Director
- Head of the Audit / Compliance Committee
Robert Decker is Head of the Audit/Compliance Committee & Board Member of Global Leisure Partners. His operational expertise has ensured that GLP has been able to grow successfully and capitalize on meeting the significant number of opportunities created since inception.
Prior to founding GLP, Robert was Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of Churchill Downs and Vice President Finance of Hilton International Corporation. At Churchill Downs Robert directed the Company's financial, treasury, investor relations, information technology and administrative functions during a period of dramatic growth. He also managed the Company's mergers and acquisitions of four racetracks, the capital transactions that funded them and directed the spin-off of the Company's strategic business into a separate operating unit. Mark Harms and Robert have worked together since 1997, when they devised and then collectively executed this strategic plan for Churchill Downs. Robert has a BS degree from Florida State University, is a Certified Public Accountant and is based in Louisville, Kentucky.
Sonya joined Global Leisure Partners in July 2013 as an intern and was subsequently hired as an Analyst in June 2014. Previously, Sonya interned at NM Rothschild & Sons, in the Global Financial Advisory division, in Singapore.
Since joining Sonya has worked on the buyout of 24 Hour Fitness, the sale of Bingocams to Novomatic and the acquisition of Probability by GTECH.
Sonya attained a BSc in Medical Science and Finance from The University of Technology, Sydney in 2011.
Tom joined Global Leisure Partners in August 2013 on a temporary basis and was subsequently hired as an Associate on a full time basis in September 2014.
Prior to Global Leisure Partners Tom worked in the Industrials M&A team at Citigroup and trained as Chartered Accountant at Ernst & Young.
Tom received a BEng (Hons) in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Nottingham.
Yusuf joined Global Leisure Partners in 2022.
Prior to GLP, Yusuf worked at PA Capital where he focused on lower middle market private equity co-investments and primary fund commitments, and at Nomura Securities, where he worked on the Consumer/Retail Investment Banking team.
Yusuf holds a BS (Marketing and Finance) from Fairleigh Dickinson University.