Global Leadership

Our leadership team of seasoned hospitality-focuses experts define industry standards around the world.

Ben Erwin

President & CEO

Ben Erwin was named CEO of Encore in August 2020. This leadership role follows him becoming President in October 2018. He is responsible for driving the strategic direction of the Company and overseeing the execution of its business plan.

Erwin was hired as Encore’s Chief Financial Officer in February 2015 and was responsible for global accounting, treasury, financial planning and analysis, tax and product management. He has a proven track record of developing global corporate strategies, leading finance organizations, and building high-performance teams.

Prior to joining Encore, Erwin served as Chief Financial Officer for TestAmerica Laboratories, where he led all accounting, finance, treasury, information technology and legal functions. Prior to 2011, he served as SVP Corporate Development for Cornell Companies, where he managed corporate strategy, financial planning and analysis, public market capital transactions, and investor relations. He has also held various positions at Enron Corporation and Trilogy Software.

Erwin earned his bachelor’s degrees in economics and political science from Wake Forest University. He is an active member of MPI and is a board member for both PCMA and the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA).

Outside of work, he dedicates his energy to charter schools in underserved parts of the United States. He enjoys running, traveling, and following the Boston Red Sox. He lives in Chicago’s North Shore area with his wife and two daughters.

Becky Sheehan

Chief Financial Officer

Becky Sheehan joined Encore as Chief Financial Officer in January 2020. Sheehan is responsible for all global financial aspects of Encore. She oversees all aspects of financial operations, including planning, investor relations, accounting and controls, treasury and tax strategy.

Before joining Encore, Sheehan spent the last three years as Chief Financial Officer at Cars.com. Prior to that, she spent 10 years with FTD Companies, Inc., as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. FTD grew from $400M to $1.2B in her time with the company. She also spent four years with Deloitte & Touche and five years with Arthur Andersen as an Audit Partner.

Sheehan earned her bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Illinois State University and is a Certified Public Accountant. In her personal time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, particularly in Hilton Head, S.C.

Cathy Schlosberg

Senior Vice President, Marketing

Cathy Schlosberg was named SVP, Marketing, of Encore in June 2019. She is responsible for global marketing, brand, customer experience, insights, communications and industry relations.

Prior to joining Encore, Schlosberg spent 16 years with Aramark Corporation, most recently serving as VP of Global Insights and Innovation. She also held numerous executive-level marketing positions throughout her time with Aramark. Previously, Schlosberg held marketing leadership positions at Campbell Soup and Kraft General Foods.

Charlie Young

Chief Human Resources Officer

Charlie Young joined Encore in June 2016 as its Chief Human Resources Officer. He is responsible for all areas of Human Resources, including recruiting, compensation, benefitspayroll, learning, talent, organizational development, and HR operations. 

Young brings a wealth of operational and HR experience to the Encore family. He has more than 20 years of progressive human resources experience, and for the eight years prior to joining Encore, served as CHRO for hhgregg. Prior to hhgregg, he held various operational and leadership roles in his 21 years at Sears, working as a District Manager and Store General Manager before entering the HR discipline as a Senior Labor Relations Manager. He served as Vice President of HR for Sears Retail, and ultimately became the number two HR leader serving in the capacity of Vice President of HR Retail Store Operations and Supply Chain. 

Young was born in Philadelphia and earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration with a specialty in accounting from Gettysburg College. 

Outside the office, he has volunteered time with the Salvation Army, the United Way, and supported a team outing to benefit Feed My Starving Children. In his spare time, he enjoys exercising, travelingrenovating his home, and attending the athletic events of his kids, Charlie and GracieA car enthusiast, he also enjoys reading about the latest automotive innovations and has attended the Indianapolis 500 more than 15 times.  

Tara Higgins

President, Hargrove, Inc.

Tara Higgins is a global business leader and branding legend. She has taken on massive projects for some of the world’s most innovative businesses throughout the course of her extensive career as a business, marketing and production advisor, driving tangible results using experience marketing to drive audiences to action. As President, she is leading Hargrove as it continues to evolve into the most engaged, responsive and effective experience marketing company relevant to what clients are asking for today in how to meet their corporate vision.

Her focus and expertise has been and continues to be driving services to customers that offer ultimate value and return on their objectives as we continue to support so many leading organizations around the world. Higgins has managed and led multiple successful businesses that offered results-driven event marketing experiences and campaigns across all mediums for many of the world’s most recognizable brands. The focus is to create innovative services and solutions for tech startups and others in hypergrowth state such as Alibaba, Salesforce, Rodan+Fields and Tesla to name just a few.

Whit Markowitz

Chief Legal Officer

Whit Markowitz joined PSAV in July 2000 as its Chief Legal Officer. He is responsible for the legal, compliance and risk management departments. His areas of emphasis include corporate governance, commercial transactions, corporate finance, labor and employment law.

Markowitz has worked in the hospitality and audiovisual industries since the mid-1990s, including serving as Assistant General Counsel for KSL Resorts before joining PSAV. Prior to KSL Resorts, he worked in both the public and private sectors where he practiced general corporate law, real estate, and land use planning.

Markowitz earned his bachelor’s degree in business and finance from the University of Southern California and his J.D. from the University of Denver. He is a member of the California and Colorado State Bar Associations.

In his personal time, he is a commercial pilot, avid downhill skier and scuba diver.

Dustin Worley

Senior Vice President of International

With more than 16 years of experience across consulting, investment banking, private equity investing and operational leadership, Dustin Worley serves as Senior Vice President of International for Encore. In this capacity, Worley oversees Encore’s operations in Latin America, Canada, EMEA and ANZPAC.

Worley joined Encore in 2016 to lead the FP&A organization before transitioning into operations to lead the organization’s Center of Excellence Performance Improvement team in October 2017. He has been in his current role since September 2020. Before joining Encore, Worley served as Vice President at Peak Rock Capital, a private equity firm in Austin, Texas.

Prior to Peak Rock, Worley was a consultant with Bain and Company for three years, working across numerous industries out of the firm’s Chicago and Mumbai offices. Before Bain, Worley worked in several professional service and principal investing organizations, including Stephens Inc., American Capital and GTCR.

Worley earned his bachelor’s degree in Economics from Vanderbilt University and his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Outside the office, he enjoys running, traveling with his family and spending time with his wife, Lindsey; son, Brady; and their dog, Henry.

Mike Stengel

Senior Vice President, Strategic Accounts and Venue Relations

Mike Stengel was named Encore’s Senior Vice President, Strategic Accounts and Venue Relations in September 2020. He leads Encore’s focus on developing relationships with hotel chains, hospitality ownership groups and management companies. This team also concentrates on business development with individual event venues, such as hotels, conference and convention centers, and stadiums.

Stengel joined Swank Audio Visuals in 1995 as Manager of Hotel Services in St. Louis, and served as its Regional Manager, Divisional Manager and Vice President of Operations before the integration of Swank and Encore. He was appointed Senior Vice President at Encore in 2013 and led Encore’s revenue management and process improvement groups, which included enhancement of the brand through the development of the Encore Customer Experience (CX) and Service Excellence (SX) departments.

Beginning in 2015, Stengel led the global Specialty Services group, which is comprised of specialized technical solution departments supported by industry expert groups inside Encore. These include rigging solutions, power distribution, digital services, internet services, creative services and simultaneous interpretation teams. He also began leading Encore’s businesses in Canada, Mexico and South America in 2017. Since 2018, Stengel has also led the venue services team in the Central United States. Throughout his tenure, he has led and participated in the post-acquisition integration efforts of the organization to ensure adoption and development of best practices through the enterprise.

Stengel has served on the Live Events Council Steering Team and has chaired the Membership Committee of InfoComm (now AVIXA). He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Management Companies Institute (AMCI).

Stengel earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism with an emphasis in advertising and a minor in business management.

Outside of work, he serves on various local boards, including Marygrove to help with their mission of providing residence, hope and health to children in need. In his free time, Stengel enjoys scuba diving, snow skiing, traveling and attending his kids’ sporting events. He lives in St. Louis with his wife, daughter and son.

Regional Leadership

Our leadership team of seasoned hospitality-focused experts define industry standards around the world.

Neal Tritton

Managing Director Mexico

Neal Tritton was appointed Encore Mexico’s Managing Director in February 2020. His extensive experience and ability as a leader in various sectors played a key role into his appointment as the ideal executive to lead the company on the right path even in the most unstable moments like the COVID-19 crisis.

Neal has more than 20 years of experience in the media sector.  Worked for Editorial Televisa holding various positions including General Manager of Peru, Neal also served as Principal of Kandeo and prior to joining PSAV served as CEO of Robb Report magazine for Mexico.

Neal has a Bachelor´s degree in international relations from the Universidad Iberoamericana and his MBA, from a joint program between the UCLA Anderson School of Management and the Adolfo Ibáñez Santiago de Chile Business School.

As a leader motivated by the strength that all the members of the company demonstrate on a daily basis; Neal praises the name of encore as a strategic guide in Mexico with great vision for expansion in Latin America. ENCORE events that transform.

Fernando Masini

VP National Operations

Fernando Masini offers a quality standard to all business partners as Vice President of Operations in Mexico. Connecting and inspiring people have been the guidelines that have distinguished its work, promoting the development of work teams and promoting the growth of each one through honest and professional relationships with the customers.

As a communications graduate from Universidad Del Norte Santo Tomas de Aquino, he initially worked in different media, as a journalist, announcer and host of TV programs. After his arrival in Mexico from Argentina, he joined the PSAV family in 2005, performing various operational and executive functions, and later in 2010 he was appointed City Director in Mexico City. Later, he served as Regional Director and in 2016 he entered as Operations Director thanks to the great value and professionalism he brought to our company.

Fernando Massini, leader committed to quality and support brought to each customer thanks to the excellent direction and capacity of the team of technicians who bring you an unbeatable event experience.

Salvador Salazar

Director Of Direct Customer Sales

With great responsibility, commitment and pride to be part of the great Encore family, Salvador Salazar leads the Sales team of the Direct Clients and Meeting Planners segment with high service orientation.

He joined PSAV in 1999 holding the position of Sales Manager in CDMX and in various operations, serving accounts such as Maritz, ITA, HPE, Motorola, L’OREAL, Jack Morton, Phillip Morris, among others; Likewise, he has led various PSAV events in Latin America.

Graduated in Administration from the Intercontinental University with a Postgraduate Degree in Sales from the Tecnológico de Monterrey, he served as Tour Manager in Massive and Artistic events in Mexico and the US.

Salvador Salazar, a leader committed to helping different organizations and companies transmit their philosophy, achieve their goals and create memorable experiences for each customer. Encore Events that transform!

Cecilia Blancarte

Field Sales & Marketing Director Mexico

With extensive experience within the hotel industry and with the support of 10 years as Sales Manager in the main hotel chains, Cecilia Blancarte leads the Sales team of the Hotels and Venues segment, providing great support to Sales Managers innovating with the development of tools, products and services based on the detection of commercial needs in the industry.

Thanks to her creative vision and great capacity for analysis, she managed to re-imagine the experience of customers in relation to the company's products and services, offering a new and fresh perspective that contributes to the success of our company.

Cecilia Blancarte, a leader committed to the world-class value and excellence that Encore provides to all of its customers and business partners. Encore, events that transform!

Rodrigo Losada

Director of Specialty Services

With extensive experience in the production of events around the world for important brands such as: AWS, Johnson & Johnson, LÓreal, Motorola, JAFRA, Rodrigo Lozada has collaborated with the company with his innovative vision as a leader of the creative team.

His passion for sound is what motivated his foray into the events industry in 1994, starting his career as a DJ and later becoming a Sound Engineer for live events and studio recording. Over time, he spread his passion for lighting, video, set design and production in general, establishing his own event production and equipment rental company in Colombia. In 2012 he decided to sell his company and move to Orlando FL, returning to college to study Show Production at Full Sail University graduating as the Valeditorian of his class. It was in 2014 that he joined the PSAV family in Orlando as a producer and a year later he arrived in Mexico to develop the creative department, achieving the position of the direction of the Creative Team and the Scenography Workshop.

Rodrigo Losada is a leader committed to excellence and distinction that is perceived beyond the screen, inspiring and captivating with creativity, transforming each event into a unique experience. Encore, events that transform!

Ulises Hernández

Director Integrated Solutions

Ulises Hernández is responsible for fixed installation audiovisual projects in the commercial, corporate and hotel sectors. The perspective and perfection applied to each of the projects he leads, have position the company in Latin America in the area of ​​integrations.

He is a communications and electronics engineer graduated from the Escuela Superior de Ingeniería Mecánica y Eléctrica del IPN, he also has a master's degree in business administration from the Escuela Superior de Comercio y Administración del IPN. With a professional career in the systems integration sector of more than 15 years, he has served as Installer, technical support and engineering, collaborating on a large number of projects in the residential, corporate and hotel sectors. He joined the Encore family in 2015, as Engineering Manager of the Integration area and later in 2018 he took on the responsibility of integration management.

Ulises Hernández, a leader committed to the quality in the execution of each project, taking full advantage of the benefits that technology offers us, providing functionality and style to each space.

Mónica Méndez

Human Resources Director

Motivated by the great potential and commitment that each member of the company has, Mónica Méndez directs and provides support to the most important resource in our organization, “All its staff”.

With a proven track record of successful and impactful design and delivery, with strategic interventions in complex and dynamic organizations, she brings excellence and depth / breadth as an HR Generalist.

She has solid foundations thanks to her experience as a Human Resources executive and Business Partner, bilingual and multicultural with a background of more than 28 years of experience in important national and multinational companies in different industries such as: Audio & Video, pharmaceuticals, information technology , construction, services and consumption, for Mexico and LATAM

Mónica Méndez is a successful leader committed to our company, charting a course of action with the strategic direction of internal talent, reaching goals and transforming our vision into reality.

Martha Duarte

Finance Direction PSAV

Honesty and respect are two values ​​that distinguish Martha Duarte's work of excellence, and it is precisely these values ​​that have allowed her to behave as a leader who inspires others, tracing a gap of trust that leads our company to success.

She is a finance and management professional with more than 25 years of experience in various industries such as the transportation and logistics services industry, cosmetics, retail, energy, gaming, and international non-profit organizations. Her extensive financial experience includes corporate transactions (start-ups, acquisitions, mergers, and JVs), financial reporting, financial analysis, budget control, treasury, tax, internal control, forensic accounting, and due diligence.

As a Public Accountant, her capabilities and technical skills have allowed her to provide solidity in the performance and growth of the organization, however, she has also played a role beyond the purely financial, acting as a key contact and local support for areas such as operations, legal , internal and external audit, compliance, purchasing and human resources, which has allowed it to become an experienced business partner.

Martha Duarte, Leader committed to the service and support of internal areas, optimizing talent to create high-performance teams and become an effective ally to create efficient and rapidly implemented solutions to strategic priorities that maximize and solidly control cycles and business results.