Niki Leondakis
2023 ICON Award Winner, Chief Executive Officer, CorePower Yoga
With more than 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry, building lifestyle brands and creating award-winning workplace cultures to drive innovation and customer loyalty, Leondakis has consistently built and led some of the most diverse and customer-centric teams in the industry. Currently, she is the CEO of CorePower Yoga, the largest yoga studio chain in the United States with over 200 studios.
Prior to joining CorePower Yoga, Leondakis was President at The Wolff Company, a multifamily-focused real estate private equity firm. Prior to joining Wolff, Leondakis was CEO of multiple companies including Equinox Fitness Clubs, Two Roads Hospitality, and Commune Hotels & Resorts.
One of the leading women executives in hospitality, Leondakis joined Commune Hotels & Resorts in November 2012 as its CEO to lead the expansion for its global growth. In 2016 it was named #9 on Travel and Leisure Magazine’s top 15 hotel brands in the world. Leondakis expanded the company’s Thompson Hotels and Joie de Vivre Hotel brands and introduced the Singapore-based Alila Hotels & Resorts to the Commune portfolio. Previous to Commune, Leondakis led Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants as their President and Chief Operating Officer, where she started in 1993 and was a key member of the executive team that led the growth of the company from 15 hotels to 50. Under her leadership, Kimpton was named one of Fortune Magazine’s 100 Best Companies to Work For.
Leondakis also held various leadership roles with the Ritz Carlton Hotel Company from 1985 to 1993. She began her hospitality career for Marriott Hotels in 1982 in Nashville, Tennessee.
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Tempering business with community stewardship, Leondakis served as Chair of the Dress for Success Worldwide Board of Directors from 2009 to 2011. Dress for Success is an international nonprofit that promotes the economic independence of disadvantaged women. Leondakis continues to serve as a board member for the organization, where she chairs the Strategic Planning Committee.
A native of West Springfield, Massachusetts, Leondakis divides her time between Denver, Colorado, and Sonoma, California.