Prominent Illinois civic figure Thomas Pritzker stepped down as executive chairman of Chicago-based Hyatt Hotels Corp., the company announced Monday.The news comes months after recently released documents show convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein exchanged at least 20 emails with Pritzker, who is Gov. JB Pritzker’s cousin, for years after Epstein's 2008 plea deal on sex crimes charges.“My job and responsibility is to provide good stewardship,” Thomas Pritzker said in a news release Monday. “Good stewardship also means protecting Hyatt, particularly in the context of my association with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, which I deeply regret. I exercised terrible judgment in maintaining contact with them, and there is no excuse for failing to distance myself sooner. I condemn the actions and the harm caused by Epstein and Maxwell and I feel deep sorrow for the pain they inflicted on their victims.”Pritzker, 75, has not been accused of any wrongdoing, nor has he been named in any investigation into Epstein’s crimes.In email exchanges, Pritzker and Epstein remarked on current events and made plans to see each other, according to a review of some of the 20,000 pages of documents.The emails stretch from at least 2010 — two years after Epstein was convicted of soliciting sex from a child as young as 14 — to early 2019, the year Epstein was arrested on suspicion of child sex trafficking. Epstein killed himself in jail in Manhattan, according to the local medical examiner.Pritzker informed Hyatt’s board of directors that he has retired as executive chairman, effective immediately, according to a news release Monday. He will not seek re-election to its board of directors at Hyatt’s annual stockholders’ meeting in May.He also serves as executive chairman of The Pritzker Organization, an investment firm, and as a member of the board of trustees of the University of Chicago. Neither immediately responded to requests for comment late Monday afternoon.Pritzker wrote in a letter to Hyatt’s board that he and his wife, Margot, “are now in a phase of our lives where we are thinking about good stewardship and that includes structuring a proper handoff to the future.”He added, “For 70 years, Hyatt has been part of our family’s identity and our family has been part of Hyatt’s identity. Good stewardship is very important to me personally.”Pritzker served as a Hyatt board member and as executive chairman since August 2004. Mark Hoplamazian, Hyatt’s president and chief executive, succeeds Pritzker as chairman of the board, effective immediately. Related One of the most expensive paintings by a living artist hung unnoticed in a Downtown hotel lobby Cindy Pritzker, beloved family matriarch and philanthropist, dies at 101 Hoplamazian said in a news release: “Tom’s decision reflects his stewardship and strong commitment to Hyatt over his many decades of service. Looking ahead, we remain focused on executing our strategy for long-term growth, advancing care for our colleagues, delivering meaningful experiences for our guests, and driving performance for owners and value for our stockholders.”Hyatt's portfolio contains more than 1,500 hotels and all-inclusive properties in 83 countries across six continents as of the end of 2025, according to the company. ...read more read less