Marilyn Carlson Nelson

In March 1998, Marilyn Carlson Nelson became President and CEO of Carlson Companies, one of the largest privately held companies in the world. She inherited the family business from her father Curtis Carlson, who managed the company for six decades. After her father passed away in February of 1999, she was named Chair of the Board.

Ms. Nelson received her degree in international economics with a minor in theatre from Smith College. She also studied political science and international economics at Institute des Hautes Etudes Economiques Politiques in Geneva, Switzerland, as well as attending the Sorbonne in Paris.

Before joining the family business, she began her career at Paine Webber in Minneapolis. She was asked to use her abbreviations on all correspondence to hide her gender until clients realized that she could do the job. After she took over the family business, the company increased its travel agency business by 200 percent. Carlson Companies has gross sales of $34.4 billion, including franchised operations, and employs over 170,000 people worldwide. The Carlson brands include: Carlson Wagonlit Travel, Regent International Hotels, Radisson Hotels and Resorts, T.G.I. Friday’s and Carlson Marketing Group.

Ms. Nelson places high importance on the employees of Carlson Companies. She is very proud of her initiative to create, “A Great Place for Great People to do Great Work.” Her devotion to the employees can clearly be seen in the incredibly loyal employee base at the company.

She was recognized with the Woodrow Wilson Award for Corporate Citizenship for her numerous civic efforts. Ms. Nelson also chaired the committee that brought the NFL's Super Bowl to Minnesota. The recipient of numerous business awards throughout her career, Ms. Nelson has been named as one of The 50 Most Powerful Women in Business by Fortune Magazine, The Most Powerful Woman in Travel by Travel Agent Magazine and as one of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women by Forbes Magazine.

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