The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) has selected Chekitan S. Dev, associate professor of marketing and brand management in Cornell's School of Hotel Administration, as one of the "Top 25 Most Extraordinary Minds in Sales and Marketing" for 2009.

The seventh annual list recognizes leaders in the hospitality, travel and tourism industries for their creativity and innovation; cutting-edge sales or marketing campaigns; triumph in challenging situations; and sales efforts that resulted in dramatic gains. Recipients will be honored Feb. 1 in a private ceremony at the New York Marriott Marquis and recognized at the organization's Adrian Awards Gala the same evening.

The 2009 recipients were nominated by their peers and chosen from about 100 candidates by a panel of senior industry executives.

"The Top 25 is a 'hot list' that celebrates the sales and marketing leaders and innovators of our industry," said Robert A. Gilbert, president and CEO of HSMAI. "The creative strategies, passionate dedication and sharp intelligence of these professionals have not only made a difference within their organizations but have also truly raised the bar for the hospitality industry as a whole."

Dev, whose research focuses on strategic marketing, brand management, strategic alliances and e-commerce, has worked with corporate, government, education, consulting and private equity in more than 35 countries since the 1980s. A regular contributor to the discussion of global hospitality trends, he has been interviewed by TIME, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, NBC Nightly News and National Public Radio. He is one of just a handful of educators ever to make the "extraordinary minds" list.

Dev's other recent awards include the 2002 John Wiley and Sons award for lifetime contribution to hospitality and tourism research and the 2004 Teacher of the Year Award from the School of Hotel Administration.