Mitch Less serves as Westgate’s Chief Operating Officer and is a member of the company’s Executive Committee. As Chief Operating Officer Mitch directly oversees Resort Operations, Food & Beverage, Purchasing, Procurement & Logistics, Development & Design, Risk Management & Insurance, Information Technology, Tax & Fleet Operations. Mitch also currently serves as the Chairman of the Audit and Compliance Committee for Mount Sinai Medical Center. He also serves on the Westgate Foundation Board of Directors.

Prior to Westgate, Mitch served as an Audit Partner at Grant Thornton, one of the world’s largest accounting and consulting firms, for more than 35 years. His primary focus was accounting and consulting for dynamic privately held businesses in the real estate, hospitality and timeshare industry. His resort clients have included developers within the Marriott and Hilton portfolios and he has worked extensively in the casual dining and quick serve segments, with significant franchisees in the Popeyes, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Wendy’s and Burger King brands. Mitch has also worked with Restaurant Services, Inc., the Purchasing and Logistics cooperative for Burger King. He also has extensive real estate experience, working for the last 15 years with the Related Group and Trammel Crow Residential, two of the nation’s largest residential developers. Mitch also served a substantial branded timeshare company.

Other notable experiences include serving for the past 30 years as an outside advisor to Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits, one of the country’s largest and fastest growing family-owned businesses, and with two professional sports teams - the Florida Panthers and the Miami Marlins - where he experienced a world championship with both.

Mitch is a proud graduate of the University of Central Florida and is a member of the College of Business Hall of Fame as well as being a member of the college’s Advisory Board of Directors. He is a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Hospitality Accountant Executive and is a member of both the American and Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants.