CHICAGO – (Jan. 30, 2024) – Great Wolf Resorts, Inc. has appointed Bret McLeod as the company’s next Chief Financial Officer. McLeod has more than 20-years of financial leadership experience, a majority spent within the hospitality industry, and will oversee the company’s finance and accounting functions as well as serve as a member of Great Wolf Resorts’ executive leadership team responsible for driving the company’s business transformation and growth.
McLeod will play a leadership role in developing and refining financial processes, systems and infrastructure while guiding a world-class finance and accounting team of more than 110 pack members. He will also provide critical support as the company navigates a period of significant growth, with three resorts set to open within the next 18-months, as well as serve as a key advisor for future development opportunities and strategic capital decisions.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Bret to the Great Wolf Pack,” shared John Murphy, Chief Executive Officer for Great Wolf Resorts. “We will rely heavily on Bret’s strong financial acumen as we add more than 1,500 keys to our portfolio with new resorts opening in Florida, Texas and Mashantucket, Connecticut, as well as further enhance and transform the Great Wolf Lodge experience at our 20 existing resorts across North America.”
“I’m excited to join Great Wolf Resorts, a dynamic company that is in the middle of a significant growth phase and is constantly recognized for its people-driven culture and high-performing teams,” added McLeod. “I’m honored to be a part of the pack and to help contribute to this company’s continued success.”
Prior to joining Great Wolf Resorts, McLeod served as Chief Financial Officer for the publicly-listed company Citycon, an owner of 33 grocery-anchored shopping centers with over 250 employees throughout the Nordic region. Prior to Citycon, he was co-founder, Managing Partner, and Chief Financial Officer of Lakewood Hotel Group, a private investment firm that specialized in hotel investments for institutional investment partners. Prior to forming Lakewood, McLeod spent most of his career with Host Hotels & Resorts, the largest public lodging REIT and a S&P 500 company, where he last served as Senior Vice President, Treasurer, Head of Strategy and Investor Relations.
McLeod holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a B.S. in Business Administration from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University, where he double-majored in Finance and Management.
McLeod will be based at Great Wolf Resorts’ corporate headquarters in Chicago and is in the process of relocating to the Windy City from Stockholm, Sweden with his wife and children.
For more information on Great Wolf Resorts and its indoor water park resorts, visit www.greatwolf.com.
