4xi is delighted to welcome hospitality and growth strategist, and coach Ann McNally after a stellar career spanning over 25 years. Working on the client-side of the business as Vice President of Amenities at Morgan Stanley and as Director for Contract Services at Bristol-Myers Squibb, she managed soft services such as food, conference centers, reception services, janitorial, fitness centers, and more.
Ann worked on the operations side of the business for 16 plus years in the airport, education, and corporate services sectors in varying roles from business operations to Vice President of Sales. Prior experience also includes working as the Chief Operating Officer for Emcon Associates where Ann had the opportunity to remarket and re-structure the organization in preparation for the firm to be sold. Ann was responsible for launching several projects and initiatives in all of her roles.
As an experienced leader and industry connector, Ann is well versed in the workplace experience and knows how to connect productivity, sustainability, and wellness to the overall value of the hospitality program for organizations.
In 2010, Ann served as President for the Society for Hospitality and Foodservice Management (SHFM) and sat on the SHFM board of directors for six years. In 2011, Ann received an honorary doctorate in food service from the North American Associations of Food Equipment Manufacturers (NAAFM).
Ann proudly served as a founding board member for Dress for Success, Mercer County NJ (serving underprivileged woman), and helped start this 501 c 3 with a group of passionate women at Bristol-Myers Squibb.
Ann has a deep understanding of business operations, excellent strategic planning skills, and genuinely enjoys coaching others to learn about our industry.
At 4xi, we believe that our strength is in the power of our collective. We're excited to have Ann join our growing global team of experts.
UP CLOSE & PERSONAL
Q1: Where do you live?
AM: I am right in the process of moving to Southport, North Carolina outside Wilmington.
Q2: What was your journey to 4xi?
AM: After working in the onsite soft services world for 28 years when Barbara Boden called with this cool concept, she and Simon Elliot were developing the timing was perfect for me to do something different. I love helping clients with various pieces of their business needs and look forward to working with many of them.
Q3: What’s your favorite holiday destination?
AM: My little ski house outside Ludlow Vermont (Okemo Mountain).
Q4: Desert Island Discs: What’s your top 3 music artists?
AM: Crosby Stills and Nash, Van Morrison, and Jackson Brown. Would throw me back to my younger days and get me through the time on the island.
Q5: Desert Island Food: What’s your top 3 cuisines or foods?
AM: I love to eat healthy food so any seafood grilled to perfection, any mixture of healthy salad, and when I venture off the daily rules Thai food does it.
Q6: If you were invited to a dinner party of 10, who would you invite, alive or dead?
AM: My son, Michelle and Barack Obama, Oprah, Hillary Clinton, Brene Brown, Deepak Chopra, Elizabeth Gilbert, my mom, dad, and sister who have passed away.
Q7: What are the top 3 most important things to think about in the future of work right now?
AM: How to help get your employees through COVID. Then Post COVID looking at the entire work experience from the moment they enter the workplace until they leave to go home. How are they impacted during the day, how can we help them be productive, how can we attract and retain them and keep them in our workplace? Let's not forget supporting them at home. The new normal may never return to a full building of people so let's make sure we invest in our employees at home as well whether through wellness offers, zoom cooking classes, packages of surprise. Let's make sure they feel valued now more than ever.
Q8: Who is the most influential person, leader, icon, colleague in your career to date? AM: Annette Erario, my boss at BMS. She taught me so much about business, encouraged me to return to school while working full time, and taught her entire team the importance of continual improvement.
Q9: If you could change one thing, anything, what would it be?
AM: A cure for cancer.
Q10: Describe your best consumer experience ever, and why it stands out?
AM: I love a good sense of humor so on a flight one time the steward made his little speech about keeping everyone safe the funniest story I have ever heard. And his delivery was spectacular. The entire plane was in stitches.
Q11. Tell us something about you that most people don't know about you?
AM: I ran four New York City marathons. My personal best was a 3:40 marathon and I'm still here!
Q12. If you support a charity, what is it and why?
AM: I support a few. One close to my heart is Dress for Success which helps suit women for job interviews. When I worked at BMS a group of great women worked together to start the Mercer County Dress for Success.
Q13. If you could live in any book, what would it be?
AM: Becoming by Michelle Obama just so I could hang with her.
Q14. If you could have superpowers, what would they be?
AM: Change the way politics work in this country. Especially the electoral college.
Q15. What are your passions and why?
AM: I love to help women in their careers. As a single mom I was fortunate to have a number of family and friends and phenomenal bosses behind me nudging me along. Not everyone has been as fortunate as I to have this support. My favorite anonymous quote;
"Behind every successful woman is a tribe of other successful woman who have her back."
Q16. If you could offer one piece of advice about the future of work what would that be?
AM: Look at the entire workplace experience from your employee's eyes and invest in them wisely as they hold the keys to your firm's success.
Thanks Ann for a super interview, and welcome to the 4xi team!
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4xi Global Workplace Consulting & Solutions provides a range of services to support Corporations, Service Providers, Innovators, and Accelerators to navigate the world of work. Inspiring the future of work, together.
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