Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) appointed Micah Friedman and Philip Rothaus managing directors in the firm’s travel, hospitality and leisure group within its corporate performance improvement (CPI) practice. Both based in Miami, their additions signify the firm’s commitment to helping clients meet post-pandemic and inflationary challenges with expanded data, advanced analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities.
The hiring of Friedman and Rothaus follows on the recent appointment of Chicago-based Sooho Choi, a managing director and leader for CPI’s travel, hospitality and leisure group, and aligns with Choi’s focus on achieving growth for clients and enhancing the customer experience.
“The geographic and capabilities expansion of our travel, hospitality and leisure group is emblematic of the firm’s global boots-on-the-ground approach. Micah and Phillip have the expertise to advance our data and strategic AI capabilities, as clients are increasingly reliant upon digital marketing and a robust cloud-enhanced customer experience,” Choi said. “Additionally, they have the experience to help companies realize returns on data and technology investments by tying clients’ investments to specific business priorities, while also focusing on talent and defining the right operating model.”
Friedman brings 35 years of travel and hospitality technology leadership to his new role, particularly at the intersection of digital transformation and marketing, client relationship management (CRM) and cloud and technology modernization. He specializes in using digital channels to improve productivity and bolster business performance.
Most recently, Friedman served as Rosewood Hotel Group’s global CIO, based in Hong Kong. In that capacity, he partnered with fellow business leaders to define and deploy initiatives to prepare the company for hyper-growth. This included transforming the group’s IT operating model, digital marketing acumen and customer experience, as well as enhancing its cloud-enabled financial systems.
Rothaus brings more than 15 years expertise in data, advanced analytics and AI strategy, with 10 of those years focused on travel, leisure and hospitality organizations. Prior to joining A&M, Rothaus was a senior digital strategist at Accenture Applied Intelligence, leading their travel and hospitality industry practice in North America. Recently, he led the transformation of a large cruise line’s revenue management function, delivering a machine learning based, end-to-end pricing system in the cloud.
“Micah’s and Phillip’s experience aligns with our clients’ needs and complements A&M’s operational heritage. Their ability to identify opportunities embedded in industry challenges will help our clients create and maximize value,” Choi said.
