Michele Turner

She Pioneered How Companies Recover From Disaster

Back when Michele Turner began working in business recovery in 1993, companies weren’t convinced they needed to prepare to recover from a disaster, disruption, or downturn. Of course, the next few decades made the case crystal clear, and Turner’s foresight made her a pioneer in the field. (She’s even written a bestselling book on resilience.) An expert in governance, risk, and compliance, Turner has worked at Microsoft, where she founded its Operational Risk Organization, and at Amazon, where she developed its global business resilience. In 2023, she joined Marriott International as the Vice President of Business Resilience and, in January of this year, she was promoted to Head of Global Business Resilience, where she leads the emergency response for all Marriott managed properties. In recognition of her decades of leadership, she joined the board of Disaster Recovery Institute International in 2024. So what worries this expert in disaster prediction? Cybersecurity — but Turner says cross-discipline collaboration is key to staying prepared.

By Audrey Goodson Kingo