John McDonald is retiring after a 47-year career with AMC Theatres, most recently as head of U.S. operations, while Stephen Colanero is also stepping down as the cinema giant’s executive vp and chief marketing officer.
On Monday, AMC said Dan Ellis, currently senior vp, development and international, will succeed McDonald as executive vp, chief operations and development officer. And Eliot Hamlisch has joined AMC as executive vp and chief marketing officer as he takes over from Colanero.
Hamlisch previously worked at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Deloitte Consulting and American Express. And Sean Goodman, AMC’s executive vp and CFO, will now oversee the company’s international theaters in Europe and the Middle East as Ellis takes on a broader role in U.S. operations.
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“The contributions to AMC from John McDonald and Stephen Colanero over many years are too great to measure. I want to emphasize that these two retirements are completely voluntary,” AMC Entertainment CEO Adam Aron said in a statement.
“I should also add a special note of thanks that each stayed on with us to get AMC through the challenging and heavily COVID-impacted years of 2020 and 2021, and each remained committed to our mission until their successors could be selected — leading to what we expect will be a seamless and painless transition,” Aron added.
Hamlisch was most recently with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts as executive vp, loyalty and revenue optimization and he will report to Aron.
In other management moves, Jennifer Douglass becomes senior vp of U.S. operations, Cynthia Pierce fills the role of senior vp design, construction, facilities, sight & sound, and Michael Hans becomes senior vp of domestic development to run AMC’s U.S. real estate and leasing activity.
And Hank Green becomes vp of food & beverage, leading AMC’s U.S. food and beverage businesses, as the company unveiled its succession plan for a retiring McDonald and Colanero.
