Influential Woman · Hospitality

Nicole Cohn

Director, US & Canada Planning, Transformation and Communications, Marriott International

Bethesda, MD

1Award received

Certifications · Degrees · Memberships

Degree American University - Graphic Design Cert PSSEI with Poly (Security Clearance) Member AIGA (Design Association) - Former Board Member Member D.C. Chapter

Her Story

About Nicole

I've been in hospitality for about 10 years, and I'll be in my current role for 2 years in March. I started my career in commercial real estate, then primarily worked in two industries - municipality and tech, briefly during coming out of COVID. I've always sought out a role that was a hybrid between creative and strategy because my background's graphic design, but I like to use it more as applied to whatever job I have. I didn't ever want to go down the path of an agency. Usually my work sits at the intersection somewhere between program management, events, and design from a strategic angle, depending on what the role entails. I lead our GM Advisory Council for U.S. and Canada, so a lot of my work revolves around the mechanics of managing our forum. I also spend a good part of my time planning our annual in-person meeting, developing the program and the content, and then the branding that goes with it. A lot of my day-in and day-out role is ensuring that there's connection within the company to our council. I'm most proud of the partnership that I developed with Cirque du Soleil in 2025 to produce a bespoke show for our GM. I worked with Cirque du Soleil to produce the show, and it was basically this once-in-a-lifetime dinner experience for more than 100 people. The application of graphic design, when applied in business, makes you a really well-rounded professional. It's sort of like a superpower because I can both execute the design - I don't have to bring in someone else to do it. It really just enhances any of the work I do since if there's not budget for it, I can create it myself.

Quick Facts

IndustryHospitality
Based inBethesda, MD
Specialty Program Management, Project Management, Creative Direction
Volunteers with Soup Kit-Making Project (through work events)

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Nicole

01What do you attribute your success to?

I attribute my success to believing in myself and the mentors along the way - the good mentors. I had some really fantastic women, and some men as well. My current boss is a man, and he's awesome, probably one of my best bosses. It's those managers who kind of pay it forward and let you be you, you know? Those managers who cause friction are the ones that try and micromanage or don't support their team behind closed doors. I found that you also have to be careful who you trust. But having mentors who believe in you and support you has been key to my success.

02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?

The best career advice I've ever received is that you will always love the company more than the company loves you. You just have to know that you're not the company - you have to be happy with your job and know that you have to do it for yourself. We've all been through reorgs, and you can work as hard as the person next to you, and your job may become irrelevant for this moment in time. That's just part of corporate America. So I think, like, never give up on your daydream. You have to keep that perspective and remember to work for yourself, not just for the company.

03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?

Hospitality is a great industry for women. Of the industries I've worked in - I started my career in commercial real estate - hospitality has a lot of upwards opportunity. At Marriott especially, there's a lot of women in leadership, so I have found myself in good company. I would encourage other women looking for a career that they can grow and develop in to look at hospitality because it's such a welcome environment. There's not a thick glass ceiling to try and break through. I will say that it does kind of depend on the company, but hospitality tends to be very welcoming and friendly.

04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?

I would say that the challenges are related to growth and the need to always be growing as a company. We started out small, and we're global now, so there's this shift and needing to always add more rooms and figuring out creative ways to do so. Sometimes I wonder, like, when do we worry about quality over quantity? But I think there's a lot of opportunity with AI. While also there being concerns with AI, I think it's like a double-edged sword at times. With the development of AI, you can definitely reduce some tasks that cause friction and free up time on menial tasks. AI is definitely creating opportunity and opening up more space to get other, more meaningful work done by allowing AI to take on redundant or menial tasks.

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