HelmsBriscoe was founded in Scottsdale, AZ in 1992 by Roger Helms. Since then, the company has grown to more than 1,400 Associates worldwide, with an Executive and Senior Leadership team that represents some of the most experienced professionals in the industry.
Roger Helms serves as Founder and CEO of HelmsBriscoe. In 1992, while working as a Sales Executive with the Registry Hotel Group, Roger recognized that many clients could utilize assistance in identifying venues and negotiating rates and contract terms for their meetings. With this idea as the primary building block, he founded HelmsBriscoe.
Since then, HelmsBriscoe has grown to be the global leader in meetings procurement and site selection, and Roger has spent each day driving the company’s vision and culture. He continually strives to ensure the company remains the undisputed industry leader by attracting the highest quality people, developing innovative solutions, and delivering world-class client services. Roger has been named on multiple occasions to Business Travel News’ list of the 25 Most Influential Executives of the Business Travel Industry.
Greg is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the HelmsBriscoe team. This includes the financial, information technology and Associate development infrastructure. His primary role is to ensure HelmsBriscoe Associates have the tools, resources and opportunities they need to achieve their business objectives and assist their clients. In addition, Greg is charged with facilitating the strategic planning process for the company, and also serves as President of ResourceOne, HelmsBriscoe’s meeting management subsidiary.
Greg’s career includes a variety of leadership positions in the hospitality and related industries. Prior to joining HelmsBriscoe, he was responsible for the repositioning of TravelClick, the leading provider of hospitality industry revenue-generating solutions, including reservations, business intelligence, and media and web products and services. Greg has also held positions in a number of hospitality companies, including Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Reservations, for Promus Hotel Corporation – owner of the Embassy Suites, Homewood, Hampton, DoubleTree, and Red Lion brands.
Gary is responsible for strategic planning, strategizing with the RVP’s, new business development, recruiting new Associates, and providing training & support for all established HB Associates. He is involved in the development of new tools and resources, and works to strengthen HB’s commitment to client satisfaction and retention. Gary spends an extraordinary amount of time traveling throughout the country interacting with HB Associates, Clients, and Industry Leaders.
After graduating from the University of Oklahoma, Gary began his career with Hyatt Hotels and Resorts on-property in Texas, followed by a move to New Orleans, LA. Hilton Hotels Corp. recruited him in 1988 where he served in their Chicago, New York and Los Angeles Worldwide Sales Offices. In 1994 Gary was named Director of Worldwide Sales for Hilton & responsible for leading all worldwide sales offices within the U.S. He joined the HB Team in February of 1998. Though Gary is a member of the Corporate Team in Scottsdale, he resides in Los Angeles, CA.
Richard joined HelmsBriscoe’s executive committee in 2012 with a primary role in supporting the company’s growth strategy and advancing their presence in the meetings industry. Richard’s responsibilities include representing the global brand across all market segments and ensuring HB’s offerings to their clients are best in class.
A hospitality industry veteran with more than 35 years of experience, Richard has worked in food and beverage, guest services, catering, convention services and sales. Richard is a member of a variety of industry organizations, including Meetings Professionals International, the Professional Convention Management Association, the Society of Incentive Travel Executives, and the American Society for Association Executives. Richard is also past Co-Chair of the Meetings Mean Business Coalition, a nationally recognized advocacy and communications group promoting the value of face-to-face meetings. Richard has been recognized in the industry with several accolades. In 2017, he was recognized as a “Meetings Trendsetter” by Meetings Today. In 2012 and 2006 he was named one of the “Top 25 Most Influential People in the Meetings Industry” by Successful Meetings, in 2006 was recognized as one of the “100 Most Influential People in the Tradeshow Business” by Tradeshow Week, and in 2004 he was named one of the “Top 25 Extraordinary Minds in Sales and Marketing” by the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI). Prior to joining HelmsBriscoe, Richard held numerous leadership positions, most recently as the Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for MGM Resorts International.
Dave is responsible for providing strategic direction and support of key market initiatives for HelmsBriscoe Associates, Clients and Partners. This includes responsibility for HelmsBriscoe’s operations outside of North America, key vertical markets globally as well as facilitating HelmsBriscoe’s Strategic Meetings Management (SMM) platform.
Dave’s career, prior to joining HelmsBriscoe, was primarily within the consumer brands industry. Throughout his career he has held a variety of leadership positions within General Mills and Schwans Consumer Brands in several different parts of the United States, including Minnesota, Tennessee, Colorado, Utah and Arizona.
Samir Kanuga joined HelmsBriscoe as Chief Financial Officer in 2020. He has led numerous organizations, both operationally and financially, serving most recently as the Chief Financial Officer of a tissue paper manufacturing company, where he worked for more than 12 years. During his time with the company, he led business growth and oversaw numerous capital expenditure projects totaling over $50 million. Samir also has experience in commercial lending, securities, and banking.
Drawing from his extensive background, Samir is responsible for a variety of duties, including overseeing HB’s accounting, finance, and IT infrastructure. He works to enhance our systems and processes to better serve our Associates and partners, and provides valuable operational insights and direction as a member of our senior leadership team.
Carole McKellar holds an executive leadership position as the Vice President, EMEA for HelmsBriscoe, and is responsible for HelmsBriscoe’s EMEA support office. Carole’s role includes overseeing company initiatives in the EMEA region, as well as providing input into the overall strategic direction of the company. She is an expert in the development and implementation of Strategic Meetings Management Programs (SMMP) and consolidated venue sourcing programs. Carole has been recognized as a Woman of Influence and the M&IT Personality of the Year for her outstanding contribution to the meetings industry. She has been a Director for the International Board of Meeting Professionals International (MPI), is currently Chair-Elect for the MPI Foundation, and actively supports attracting new talent to the industry.
Before joining HelmsBriscoe, Carole created and managed a group of companies specializing in association management, venue search, event management and training/professional development. Carole’s business success has been recognized through the North West Woman of Achievement Award, Duke of Westminster Award for Business and Industry, and Employer of the Year award. Carole has an honors degree in Archaeology, a diploma in Training Management, as well as a CMM certification from MPI. Carole is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development in the United Kingdom, and has been an active member of Meeting Professionals International (MPI) since 1999, holding a number of volunteer leadership positions.
Shawn joined HelmsBriscoe as Director of Industry Relations EMEA in July 2010. He worked closely with HelmsBriscoe for many years and always admired the team’s capabilities and values. He believes that the HB organization sets itself apart because of its genuine desire to deliver exceptional value through highly personalized service. Having been a partner hotelier for many years, Shawn knows what it takes to build a successful relationship with HelmsBriscoe and this puts him in a unique position to assist the company in its growth and our partners in their continued success.
Shawn started his career as a graduate from a Swiss Hotel School more than twenty years ago. He has worked in hotels such as Gleneagles in Scotland, Hilton in Malta and the Hotel George V in Paris. The majority of his career was spent with Corinthia Hotels. Shawn’s background is mainly operations and his forté lies in Food and Beverage and Sales. The last seven years of Shawn’s career focused on creating products and services for Corinthia Hotels, where he was responsible for the development of the company’s MICE sales and product strategy.
As Vice Prestident of Technology, David Bowler is responsible for managing a complex Information Technology portfolio of people, infrastructure, systems, processes, and projects that support the strategic and tactical needs of HelmsBriscoe and its Associates. These responsibilities include the research, design, and acquisition of technology solutions that are aligned with business goals, Associate success, and delivering Client value.
David joined HelmsBriscoe in 2002 and has more than 25 years of Information Technology experience. He has provided technology vision and leadership to a wide range of technology teams in a variety of industries from electronics manufacturing to real estate and financial services. Prior to joining HelmsBriscoe David held positions at Visa International, Charles Schwab, American Express, Wells Fargo, and MicroAge.
Kaye joined HelmsBriscoe’s full meeting management subsidiary, HB ResourceOne, in 2001 as Vice President. She is responsible for the day-to-day operation of HBR1. Her extensive role includes the leadership of the HBR1 team, strategic development and execution of sales and marketing strategies, new business development, relationship building with internal and external Clients, solidifying brand identity and managing HBR1’s Preferred Vendor program.
Prior to joining HBR1, Kaye was the Director of Global Events for Nortel Networks and has more than 33 years of experience in the event industry. Kaye and her team managed events ranging from 100 to more than 5,000 attendees including sales conferences, association conferences, product launches, incentive trips, hospitality events, tradeshows, and road shows. Kaye has managed such prestigious global events as the Palm Springs International Film Festival, Master’s Golf Tournaments, PGA golf tournaments, US Open, Olympics, Super Bowl, Indy 500 and Formula One racing. Kaye attended University of Houston Victoria and Texas Tech University and is based in Dallas, Texas.
Contact HelmsBriscoe
Phone: +1.480.718.1111
Fax: +1.480.718.1126
Email: info@helmsbriscoe.com
HelmsBriscoe Global Headquarters
20875 N. 90th Place
Suite #210
Scottsdale, AZ 85255, USA
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