Mayor Lightfoot announces first female president and CEO of Choose Chicago

Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Choose Chicago announced that Lynn Osmond (pictured) has been appointed as the new CEO of Choose Chicago, the sales and marketing organisation for Chicago, US. Osmond, the first woman to lead the city’s tourism agency, was most recently the president and CEO at the Chicago Architecture Center. Osmond was appointed after a global search overseen by a 13-member committee of Choose Chicago Board members representing a cross-section of the tourism hospitality community. Mayor Lightfoot stated: “As the city continues to see a rise in tourism, Osmond’s intimate knowledge of this city will ensure that we will continue to safely encourage and delight those who come to Chicago for work or play.” Under Osmond’s leadership the Chicago Architecture Center (CAC) grew from a $2.4m operation in 1996, with an audience of 150,000 to a $25m organisation in 2019, with an audience of 700,000. Governor Jay Pritzker stated: “Reinvigorating our tourism industry is a key component of my economic recovery plan, from investing in commercial corridors to funding tourism convention bureaus from Chicago to Carbondale. Our best resource in this work is local leaders who know the ins and outs of our state’s greatest treasures, and when it comes to the Chicago tourism and hospitality community, there’s no one better than Lynn to take the Windy City’s global reputation to new heights.” Osmond’s appointment is effective 9 May, 2022