Sandals Resorts International (SRI) has shared this week the passing of David Roper, one of the longest serving members of the organization’s leadership team. Roper died Saturday evening after a long illness, the company said.
According to SRI executive chairman Adam Stewart, with five years of Caribbean tourism experience already under his belt when he joined Sandals Resorts in 1986 as general manager of Sandals Royal Caribbean, Roper quickly made himself “indispensable, nearly synonymous with the brand and beloved by colleagues, staff and travel advisors worldwide.”
After joining the company as a general manager, Roper was asked later that same year to bring his talents to the SRI leadership team where he was tasked with managing the company’s relationship with the greater travel industry. He played an integral role in building out and strengthening SRI’s sales and industry relations division, forging relationships with not only regional industry partners and stakeholders but also with critical international partners across the globe.
“I do not remember a time when I did not know and love David Roper. He was a fun and natural force for good,” Stewart said in a press statement. “While he had an encyclopedic memory of the history of the company, David was never confined to its past and was one of the most innovative and capable leaders. But it was with travel advisors that he truly shined. To take him on the road was to be in the presence of a rock star who was the energy connecting agents, the resorts and the brand.”
Roper is survived by his wife Donna, their children and hit brother Brian Roper, general manager of Beaches Ocho Rios.
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