Charles Corbin – Hilton Grand Vacations

As senior executive vice president, general counsel, and head of corporate operations for Hilton Grand Vacations (HGV), Charles Corbin is no stranger to tackling company-wide transformation. But in January 2025, Corbin took on a new challenge—raising his hand to temporarily lead the company’s human resources department following the departure of its head.

“I didn’t step into this for ego,” Corbin says. “It was about helping the company. It felt like the right moment to get back to the basics.”

Hilton Grand Vacations is a global leader in vacation ownership, developing, marketing, and operating a portfolio of high-quality, shared-ownership properties in some of the world’s most desirable travel destinations. The company also manages innovative membership programs, giving its owners access to exclusive travel, exchange, and reservation services. With more than 10,000 team members across sales centers, corporate offices, and club-affiliated properties, HGV prides itself on a culture of hospitality—not just for guests, but internally, among its team.

Corbin’s leadership now spans even more than legal and operations. As interim head of HR, he’s steering the organization through a time of growth, post-acquisition integration, and a deep redefinition of what it means to be an employer of choice. For Corbin, it all comes down to three pillars: talent, compensation, and culture.

A legal mind in an HR chair

Corbin’s journey to executive leadership didn’t follow a traditional path. After earning his JD from the University of Dayton School of Law, he spent a decade in private practice, then nearly ten years running a venture capital firm. He joined Hilton Worldwide in 2010 and transitioned to Hilton Grand Vacations in 2017, bringing a sharp understanding of how law supports business.

Now, temporarily leading HR, Corbin sees natural synergies between his legal training and the people-first responsibilities of human resources.

“There’s a lot of overlap between legal and HR,” he says. “You must listen, ask smart questions, and give sound, practical advice.”

Upon taking the reins, Corbin resisted the temptation to jump in with pre-set solutions. Instead, he chose to do what he does best—observe, analyze, and listen.

“In the beginning, I spent twice as much time listening as talking,” he says. “You walk into these roles and assume you know the people and the pain points. But you have to act like a neophyte. You’ve got to build trust all over again.”

Within two weeks, Corbin defined a refreshed HR mission built around simplicity, value, and sustainability.

Finding, rewarding, and keeping the best

At the heart of Corbin’s new HR framework is a commitment to identifying and retaining top-tier talent—people who excel in their roles and want to grow with the company.

“The first pillar is simple: find, retain, and reward the best in class,” Corbin says. “It’s about ensuring we have the right people in the right seats and supporting their long-term career growth.”

That focus on people is especially critical in the wake of two significant acquisitions—Diamond Resorts in 2021 and Bluegreen Vacations in 2024—deals that expanded HGV’s employee base from 10,000 to more than 22,000 team members and tripled its vacation portfolio to more than 200 properties worldwide.

The mergers not only broadened HGV’s customer reach, with more offerings for younger travelers and more global destinations but also presented cultural integration challenges. Corbin understands that retaining talent in such an environment requires more than just smooth transitions—it demands intentional, values-driven leadership.

His second pillar is compensation, not just in dollars, but in making employees feel valued.

“It’s not just base pay,” Corbin explains. “People want to feel they’re growing, that they still have value, that they’re part of something bigger. If compensation is the only thing keeping someone here, we’ve missed the mark.”

That belief aligns with Corbin’s own career choices. In 2010, he left Sunrise Senior Living, where he was due a sizable bonus, to join Hilton because he believed in the brand.

“I walked away from short-term money to be associated with a name that meant something,” he says. “Growing up in Pittsburgh, Hilton was one of the iconic names I saw every time I came out of the tunnel into the city. That resonated.”

Culture as a competitive advantage

The third and most ambitious pillar of Corbin’s HR mission is building a vibrant company culture that people want to be part of it long term.

“We want to be the preferred employer in the timeshare space—if not in hospitality as a whole,” Corbin says. “We want people to feel energized when they walk into the office or log in from home. Culture drives performance, loyalty, and innovation.”

To do that, Corbin emphasizes communication and transparency. He meets with the legal and HR leadership team biweekly on alternating weeks and maintains an open-door policy to encourage candid dialogue.

“I tell my teams: if you need something from me, lay it out clearly,” he says. “I’m not here to add pressure—I’m here to help you succeed.”

His leadership style leans toward servant leadership—collaborative, respectful, and rooted in a deep sense of gratitude for the people around him.

“I’m not a cult of personality leader,” Corbin says. “Success isn’t about me. It’s about the team. I stand on the shoulders of giants.”

He credits much of his impact to the support of outstanding colleagues and partners, both internal and external. Among those partnerships, Corbin highlights the company’s risk management strategy, which has earned recognition from insurers across markets.

“We’re proud of our risk management program,” he says. “Our proactive, programmatic approach means our homeowners aren’t hit with steep premium increases—even in the wake of hurricanes or other major events.”

Coaching the next generation

Despite his broad portfolio, including legal operations, risk management, insurance, security, and HR, Corbin remains focused on what comes next. For him, the objective measure of leadership is whether the organization thrives long after he’s gone.

“Hopefully, they’ll do it even better than I have,” he says. “I believe in empowering successors, not clinging to legacy. That’s how sustainable leadership works.”

Corbin sees succession planning not as a checklist, but as a daily practice of coaching and development.

“You don’t need everything squared away in advance,” he says. “If you’ve built the right culture, habits, and communication, things will work out. I have every faith that this team would carry on—maybe even better—if I sent my last email tomorrow.”

That philosophy is deeply personal. As the son of a janitor and an aircraft mechanic, Corbin didn’t grow up speaking the language of business. He gravitated toward English and literature in college, honing the reading, writing, and critical thinking skills that would one day make him an exceptional attorney and business leader.

He’s evangelical about the power of the liberal arts to prepare people for careers in law, business, or medicine. And he’s just as passionate about helping team members find purpose in their work and identity in the organization’s shared mission.

Corbin’s legal background remains the foundation of his approach—but at this stage in his career, it’s clear that he leads first and litigates second.

“I looked at the law as an entry into business,” he says. “And I knew early on that I wanted to be part of building something, not just handling cases but shaping something meaningful.”

That drive continues to define his leadership at Hilton Grand Vacations. Whether overseeing HR, guiding legal strategy, or mentoring the next generation of executives, Corbin leads with curiosity, humility, and purpose.

And as HGV continues to grow its footprint, evolve its culture, and invest in its people, Corbin’s steady hand ensures that the company never strays too far from the values that made it successful in the first place.

“Getting back to basics,” he says, “is how we move forward.”