Marcos Agostini

Marcos Agostini is executive vice president and managing director for Interval International, an industry leading timeshare exchange company that also offers leisure and travel-related products and services to its members and clients. Interval is an operating business of Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: VAC), a leading global vacation company that offers vacation ownership, exchange, rental and resort and property management services.

Marcos began his career at an Interval International call center in Venezuela after returning home to South America from school in England. “What was supposed to be a six-month stint to spend time with my parents turned into a 20-plus year career,” said Marcos.

After joining Interval International officially in 2001, Marcos progressed through sales and operations management roles of increased responsibility in the Caribbean and South America before ultimately being promoted to build, shape, and drive the corporate revenue and growth strategy as the leader of the global Interval business. “I’ve been fortunate to have tremendous growth opportunity at Interval, overseeing multiple regions and markets across the Caribbean, Latin America, and finally, here in the U.S.,” said Marcos. “It’s been an exciting career meeting people, visiting many places and being exposed to different cultures.”

Over time, Marcos has seen how the industry has evolved into different forms of shared ownership and membership programs. Today, he finds the ups and downs of that evolution, and how businesses can stay relevant in this type of dynamic environment, among the most exciting aspects of his job. “What keeps me energized these days is finding ways to meet the new business challenges,” he adds. “I think about things like staying current on technology, finding alternate ways to drive customer engagement, and modernizing our current business structure to make sure new ideas can move us forward so we ultimately provide the best vacation experiences for our members and services for our clients.”

When asked where he thinks Interval International is headed, Marcos says the best is yet to come. “Our new saying is ‘We Power Vacations’ — whether that’s timeshare, cruises, or more, we want travelers to think of us as the company that makes their dreams happen,” he says. “My objective is to create the Interval of tomorrow and reigniting how we deliver value so that we live up to this saying,” he says. “Figuring out how to accomplish that despite all the industry headwinds is exciting. It’s about helping developers see the impactful role Interval can continue to play in the vacation ownership world not just as an Exchange company but as broader travel and services organization to support their companies.”

As an industry veteran, Marcos advises new professionals in the timeshare industry to get as much exposure to different markets and areas within the industry as possible. “My career has taken me to different countries where I’ve learned to speak multiple languages and have had truly invaluable life and work experiences,” Marcos said. “Over the years I have had the opportunity to support different developer groups, and I have taken a consultative approach to build business relationships which creates trust and is so important to understanding the big picture in order to bring value to clients. ”

Marcos also says newcomers shouldn’t be afraid to take risks, especially when they’re early in their career, as having new experiences and understanding how career changes make you a better professional is critical.

Finally, Marcos recommends finding an industry leader early on to act as a mentor. “My father was in the timeshare industry on the developer side in the late ‘90s,” he said. “I was able to learn so much from him in my early years because a lot of developers, like him, were once entrepreneurs, and that is still very much the case in many markets.” Marcos shares that the industry has many nuances and moving parts, but he says it’s well worth the time it takes to learn about it. “Once you work it all out and understand how our various business work, this is a wonderful industry to work in. You can really make so many great connections and friends in this industry. When he’s not traveling professionally, Marcos enjoys vacationing in Europe with his family. Marcos said, “Growing up going to school in England, I do miss Europe. The rich history, diverse cultures, delicious cuisine great wine, beautiful landscape, land ease of travelling between different countries. Italy and France are at the top of my list of favorite places.” While Marcos and his family enjoy a European getaway, he also looks forward to golf trips with friends. “I love golf and wish I was a better golfer,” he adds. “Wherever I can golf is an ideal destination for me.”