 Simon Cooper joined Ritz-Carlton in 2001 as President and Chief Operating Officer, taking the helm from Horst Schulze.Cooper's mandate was to grow the chain through hotel expansion and product diversification.Under Cooper's watch the company has aggressively expanded its hotels and added The Ritz-Carlton Residences, private residential units, and The Ritz-Carlton Destination Club, fractional ownership residences, to the company's development program.