The State of Florida and Caribbean Hotels and Hospitality

Diana Farmer-Gonzalez is the Co-Managing Director of Gensler’s Miami office. She has over 30 years of professional experience in a wide range of interior design and architecture projects throughout South Florida as well as Latin America and the Middle East. Diana's experience ranges from leading clients and creating project teams from project inception through project completion for both high design and specialized technical spaces for architecture and interior projects. Ms. Farmer-Gonzalez has expertise design projects ranging from hospitality, multi-family residential, retail, commercial office buildings, workplace and branded environments to aviation interiors and higher education projects. Ms. Farmer-Gonzalez is a frequent lecturer, and her work has been featured in several industry publications. Passionate about mentoring young designers and design education, Diana is sought out to be a guest lecturer and student mentor at Florida International University’s College of Communications, Architecture + The Arts, where she also serves on the Deans Leadership Advisory Board, the Interior Architecture school’s advisory board and was a FIU Torch Award recipient for outstanding contributions to the profession of design and architecture. Diana is an active member of the International Interior Design Association, serving currently as a Board Member for the International Chapter, is a long-standing Associate member of the America Institute of Architects and was named “Interior Designer of the Year” by the AIA’s Miami Chapter. Diana earned a B.S. in Interior Design from Florida International University and studied Architecture at the University of Colorado School of Design and Planning.

Christian Glauser Benz is the Head of Development for the Americas for Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group. Based in Miami, Christian leads all development and investment initiatives for the group in the region, focusing on the US, Canada, Latin America and Caribbean. Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group is an award-winning owner and operator of some of the world’s most luxurious hotels, resorts and residences. Having grown from its Asian roots 60 years ago into a global brand, the Group now operates a portfolio of 50 luxury hotels and residences in 25 countries and territories. Mandarin Oriental’s strong focus in fine dining and wellness has garnered a record 29 Michelin stars and 21 Forbes Spa Awards. Mandarin Oriental is a subsidiary of the Jardine Matheson Group, one of Asia’s largest multinational conglomerates.

Fisher graduated from Louisiana State University with a Bachelor’s in Communications and Public Relations and a minor in Business Administration. As part of the LSU National Championship Football team, he was selected as Team Captain and named 1st Team All-SEC. Fisher began his hotel career with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, quickly working his way up and holding various rolls across properties including New Orleans, Atlanta-Buckhead and Washington, D.C. He was named Ritz-Carlton Leader of the Year in 2013 and was a three-time Cobalt Award Winner for Innovation. From 2015 to 2018, Fisher’s career continued to grow as he took on the role of Executive Director of Hotel Operations at MGM National Harbor Resort & Casino in National Harbor, MD. From there he moved to Las Vegas, NV into the role of Vice President of Hotel Operations at Circus Circus Resort & Casino, then later as Vice President of Hotel Operations at Park MGM and NoMad Resort & Casino. In 2020, Fisher was appointed Senior Corporate Director of Operations at Montage International in California, overseeing the Montage and Pendry brands.

Matthew leads GlobalPro’s New York office that serves the Northeast Region and is the managing partner of GlobalPro Ventures, LLC, a boutique Private Equity, Venture Capital and Real Estate Investment firm. He brings over a decade of experience in financial services and asset management with a focus on raising capital, business development and key relationship management. Matthew served as Vice President and Partner at Neuberger Berman and Rue One Investments. His business development experience is highlighted by building and growing sales regions in the U.S. and raising over $700 million in capital to date. He is an expert at building relationships with Family Offices, Independent Broker/Dealers and their respective Home Office Representatives. In 2014, Matthew was recognized by his peers who nominated him for the “Roy Neuberger” Award, the Advisor Consultant of the Year.