A native of France, Mr. Cnockaert has spent the last three years in China, where he opened The Ritz-Carlton, Guangzhou. Mr. Cnockaert's Ritz-Carlton career began in 1993, when he was appointed the director of food and beverage at The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, in Southern California. Subsequently, his efforts earned him the position of hotel manager at The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco, after which he moved to Japan to assist in the opening of The Ritz-Carlton, Osaka. In 1999, he was named the opening general manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Philadelphia. Mr. Cnockaert, fluent in English and French, earned a Bachelor of Accounting degree from Rouen, France and a Degree in Hotel Management from the Lausanne Hotel School in Switzerland. He also completed a course on "Executive Leadership Certification" from Cornell University, and in 2008, was named the "Outstanding Volunteer of the Year" by the Guangzhou government, an honor never before bestowed on a foreigner.