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John Paul
Nichols

President and Managing Director of Europe, Middle East, and Africa, Wyndham Worldwide Corporation

New York, New York

Hospitality executive John Paul Nichols takes advantage of many opportunities for international travel. In his recent role as President and Managing Director with Group RCI, Wyndham Worldwide Corporation, he oversaw the company’s operations in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. John Paul Nichols held bottom-line responsibility for $663 million in revenue in this position. The company’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization under his administration amounted to $141 million. Furthermore, more than 6,000 business associates reporting to 7 distinct corporate entities ultimately reported to John Paul Nichols.

His previous position with RCI, as President and Chief Executive Officer of RCI International based in Beijing, China, awakened John Paul Nichols to the joys of collecting the works of contemporary Chinese artists. Mr. Nichols acquired pieces by Zhao Bo, Zhu Ming, Liu Bolin, and Xue Song. He especially enjoys the pop art paintings and sculptures of Wang Guangyi and the resin sculptures of former graffiti artist Zhang Dali.

Having grown up in Chile and Brazil, John Paul Nichols speaks both Spanish and Portuguese fluently. Naturally, he served RCI for a few years as President and CEO of the company’s Latin American and Caribbean division. Each year, his team exceeded earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) targets to achieve top performances in revenue generation.

John Paul Nichols regularly makes journeys to exotic lands with his partner, the writer Holly J. Hager. Most recently, they have visited Mongolia, Peru, and Bhutan. His previous work assignments with Group RCI, Cendant Corporation, Wingate Inns International, Inc., and Remington Hotel Corporation have placed him in Mexico, Texas, Florida, and New York, including in the Soho and Tribeca neighborhoods. Along with paintings and sculptures, Mr. Nichols has collected folk art, religious objects, and modern furniture.


John Paul Nichols's Companies

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John Paul Nichols's Publications

  • Zhang Dali: Presenting the Chinese Urban Migrant’s Experience, by John Paul Nichols
    , John Paul Nichols' Blog on Bigsight
    November, 2011
    Zhang Dali Works on Display, 2010.

    Zhang Dali. Posted at Wikimedia Commons.

    As an avid follower of contemporary art, I have built a small collection of pieces by Chinese artists since living in Beijing five years ago. Artists whose works I have added to a highly personal collection include Zhou Chunya, Wang Guangyi, Xue Song, and Zhang Dali.

    Born in 1963, Zhang Dali attended the Beijing Central Academy of Art & Design prior to moving to Italy and immersing himself in graffiti art. Calling himself “18k” and “AK-47”, Dali returned to Beijing in the mid 1990s, spending a period of three years spray-painting approximately 2000 large-scale profiles of his own head throughout the city. Among the buildings that he spray-painted were traditional courtyard homes destined for demolition. This early graffiti work still exists throughout the city, and Dali documented the works photographically under the title “Dialogue.”

    Zhang Dali next emerged as a socially relevant sculptor, created the Demolition series of head and body resin casts of migrant workers. These works reflected the proximity of Dali’s studio to a community of migrant workers on the outskirts of Beijing. They also reference his own experiences as a migrant to Beijing from a working-class family in Harbin in northern China.

    In creating these provocative works, Dali sought to bring the difficult and often bitter lives of these undocumented workers to public attention. The body cast series “Chinese Offspring” presents migrants hanging upside-down by ropes around their ankles, reminiscent of slabs of meat at a slaughter house. Dali’s related resin head cast series called “100 Chinese” presents face portraits of migrant workers.

    All of these distinctive series bring attention to a growing divide and the resulting social estrangement between the haves and have-nots in China. Despite the often-disturbing nature of his vision, Zhang Dali has achieved international recognition for his uncompromising stance. Along with Jackson Pollock and Keith Haring, he is one of only three artists who have graced the cover of Time magazine.

    About the Author: A hospitality executive with more than 30 years of relevant international experience, John Paul Nichols recently served as President and Managing Director with Group RCI, Wyndham Worldwide Corporation, taking responsibility over the company’s operations in the Middle East, Europe, and Africa.