Paula Winkler
VP & CIO
Carlson Hotels Worldwide

As Chief Information Officer for Carlson Hotels Worldwide, Paula Winkler leads the IT initiatives for the hotel brands of Regent International Hotels; Radisson Hotels & Resorts; Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts; Country Inns & Suites By Carlson; and Park Inn. Winkler reports to Jay Witzel, president and CEO, Carlson Hotels Worldwide.

Winkler is responsible for directing the IT strategy which focuses on customer centricity and innovation. She also leads the development efforts for creating future technology capabilities that will serve Carlson’s customers on a one-to-one basis.

Most recently, Winkler was with Carlson Hotels’ parent company, Carlson Companies, where she was vice president of Technology and program executive for Carlson Global Solutions. Winkler also led the Carlson Shared Services Technology organization which includes enterprise applications, hosting, telephony, workplace, network connectivity and collaborative services. The organization consists of more than 300 technology professionals supporting customers in all Carlson business units around the globe.

Prior to joining Carlson, Winkler developed and implemented a network-support competency for a small private network services firm in Minneapolis, Minn. Additionally, she spent 12 years with Electronic Data Systems in Minneapolis supporting several clients, including General Motors, the US Postal Service and National Car Rental.

Winkler earned her bachelor’s degree in mathematics and computer science from Stephens College in Columbia, Mo.