Hospitality giant Marriott International has announced that its president and CEO, Arne Sorenson, has been was diagnosed with stage two pancreatic cancer.
Sorenson, who is 60 years of age, received the diagnosis last week from a medical team at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore after a series of tests. He will remain in his role while undergoing treatment.
In a message to Marriott associates, Sorenson said: “The cancer was discovered early. It does not appear to have spread and the medical team – and I – are confident that we can realistically aim for a complete cure.
“In the meantime, I intend to continue working at the company I love. Let me make one request: look ahead with me. We have great work underway at Marriott. I am as excited by what we can accomplish together as I have ever been.”
Sorenson’s treatment plan will begin this week with chemotherapy, and doctors anticipate surgery near the end of 2019.
Sorenson joined Marriott in 1996, before becoming CEO in 2012. He is also the first person to lead the company from outside the Marriott family.
