Rachel Kornafel

Rachel Kornafel is the Chief Brand Officer at Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG), where she leads Marketing, Guest Experience, and Events across the company's portfolio of full-service restaurants, Daily Provisions, and Hospitality Quotient, its hospitality advisory group. Working closely with CEO Chip Wade and Founder & Executive Chairman Danny Meyer, Rachel plays a central role in shaping USHG's brands, deepening guest engagement, and driving sustainable revenue growth. 

At the core of Rachel's approach is a belief that marketing should function as an extension of a brand's hospitality, that the experience of encountering a brand online, in your inbox, or on social should feel as intentional and warm as walking through the door. She brings that same philosophy to technology and AI, seeing them as a way to deepen guest relationships and deliver the kind of personalized engagement that builds genuine loyalty over time. 

Rachel brings 15 years of experience at some of the world's most acclaimed global advertising agencies, including Droga5 and 72andSunny in New York City and BBH in Singapore. Grounded in brand strategy, data-driven storytelling, and integrated marketing, she made a deliberate shift to the restaurant industry in 2019, spending five years at Boqueria, a Spanish tapas chain, as VP of Marketing, leading the brand's expansion into new markets and scaling its marketing operations while preserving its core identity. 

Her career reflects a combination of creative rigor, analytical thinking, and deep respect for the human side of hospitality—a balance she brings every day to the brands and teams she leads at USHG.