Hanna Bankston
Vice President of Marketing
Hanna Bankston is a seasoned marketing executive with over 15 years of experience driving brand growth, customer engagement, and revenue for luxury hospitality and lifestyle brands. Her career spans award-winning work with globally recognized hospitality companies, including Hyatt Hotels and Resorts, where she received the prestigious U.S. Marketing Award of Excellence, and Marriott International, where her contributions helped secure three Operating Hotel of the Year awards within the Americas Classic Luxury tier.
A graduate of the University of Colorado at Denver Business School, Hanna has built her reputation on crafting data-driven strategies and integrated campaigns that resonate across diverse markets. She has led marketing and brand efforts for high-profile openings and repositionings, forged iconic partnerships with globally recognized brands including Sony Music, Sony Pictures, Macy’s, Hello Sunshine, and more. She consistently delivers results through a mix of creativity, business acumen, and cultural insight.
As Vice President of Marketing at Southbound Consulting Group, Hanna continues to shape the narrative of exceptional destinations, drawing on a deep understanding of brand identity, customer behavior, and industry insights. Her work reflects a commitment to thoughtful leadership, long-term brand equity, and delivering experiences that leave lasting impressions.
Samantha Berger
Vice President, Strategic Finance & Operations
Samantha Berger is Vice President of Strategic Finance & Operations at Southbound Consulting Group. In her role, she supports the financial and operational infrastructure of a dynamic and growing portfolio. Drawing on a deep foundation in corporate finance, strategic planning, and international operations, she brings cross-functional expertise to support Southbound’s evolving platform.
Previously, Samantha served as Chief Financial Officer of EchoStone, an international real estate and housing technology company. As CFO, she led the company’s financial operations across multiple jurisdictions, overseeing capital planning, internal reporting, entity structuring, and risk management. Earlier roles at EchoStone included Senior Director of Corporate Strategy & Development and Director of Financial Planning & Analysis, where she built financial reporting systems, guided operational initiatives, and led multidisciplinary efforts across finance, legal, and project teams.
Earlier in her career, Samantha was an Assistant Vice President in Citigroup’s U.S. Equity Research division, where she covered a broad range of publicly traded consumer companies. Her work included financial modeling, valuation, and strategic analysis that informed institutional investment decisions. She collaborated closely with C-suite executives and buy-side clients.
She began her career in executive consulting, advising Fortune 500 clients on leadership development, succession planning, and organizational strategy.
She holds a B.S. in Commerce and an M.S. in Accounting from the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce, where she was a Jefferson Scholar and Echols Scholar.
Samantha approaches every challenge with curiosity, discipline, and a strong sense of purpose—and is passionate about solving complex problems, building high-integrity systems, and helping businesses reach their full potential.
Sofia Pires
Director of Administration
Sofia Pires is an accomplished administrative leader with a strong background in executive support and operations management. She currently serves as the Director of Administration at Southbound Consulting Group, where she brings strategic oversight and organizational expertise to drive operational efficiency.
Prior to her current role, Sofia spent over seven years at JW Marriott Nashville, where she rose through the ranks from Executive Assistant to the hotel’s General Manager to a dual role where she excelled as both the Executive Administrative Manager and the Executive Assistant to the COO of the hotel’s billion-dollar parent company. In these roles, she played a critical role in executive coordination, client relations, and internal communications, becoming a trusted point of contact and a key contributor to executive-level operations.
Sofia is known for her professionalism, discretion, and ability to streamline administrative functions in fast-paced environments.
Lukus Kindlesparker
Chief Executive Officer
Lukus Kindlesparker is the Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Southbound Consulting Group, a premier hospitality consulting firm committed to helping clients elevate guest experiences, optimize operations, and drive long-term, sustainable growth. With over 25 years of deep, hands-on leadership experience across the global hospitality industry, Lukus is known for developing innovative, results-driven strategies that are tailored to each client’s unique vision and operational needs.
Throughout his career, Lukus has provided direct financial oversight of multi-million-dollar operations across retail, hospitality, and real estate development sectors. His expertise includes budgeting, forecasting, capital planning, and financial performance management for complex, large scale assets, and mixed-use portfolios. Lukus has consistently delivered measurable improvements in profitability, operational efficiency, and asset value.
Lukus brings extensive pre-opening leadership and ground-up development experience, having successfully led major hotel projects from concept through construction, pre-opening, and launch. His operational leadership includes the successful opening and stabilization of assets that went on to receive top industry recognition, including Marriott International "Hotel of the Year" award in 2019 and "Hotel Opening of the Year" honor in 2018. In 2019, Lukus was named General Manager of the Year by both the Greater Nashville Hospitality Association and the Tennessee Department of Hospitality and Tourism.
In addition to his work in hospitality, Lukus has overseen key departments such as Human Resources, Mall & Retail Operations, and Marketing for billion-dollar organizations, offering a unique, cross-functional leadership perspective that spans industries and asset classes.
Under his leadership, Southbound Consulting Group has partnered with boutique hotels, full-service marinas, and emerging hospitality ventures, offering tailored consulting services in areas such as company culture, market entry strategy, customer experience design, revenue management, brand positioning, and operational turnarounds.
A trusted advisor, dynamic speaker, and dedicated industry advocate, Lukus Kindlesparker is passionate about helping organizations grow from the ground up and is committed to shaping the future of his clients’ organizations through innovation, collaboration, and service excellence.
