Biography

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, and Tax & Fleet Operations. 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 restaurant segments, providing counsel to significant franchisees in the Popeyes, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Wendy’s and Burger King brands. He also has extensive real estate experience, working with two of the nation’s largest residential developers.

Other notable experiences include serving as an outside advisor to Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits, one of the country’s largest and fastest growing family-owned businesses, and to 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 UCF College of Business Advisory Board of Directors. He was inducted into the UCF College of Business Hall of Fame. Mitch also currently serves as the Chairman of the Audit and Compliance Committee for Mount Sinai Medical Center. 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.