Choice Hotels International said July 1 it appointed Ali Keshavarz, president and chief data & analytics officer at CVS Health, to its board of directors.
Keshavarz is described by the company as a new independent director with expertise in artificial intelligence, data and advanced analytics. At CVS Health, he leads enterprise data and analytics strategy and plays a key role in the company’s AI strategy. Before that, he served as chief analytics officer for Aetna and CVS Caremark, and earlier spent more than a decade at McKinsey, where he co-founded the firm’s healthcare analytics practice.
The appointment adds a board member with a background in large-scale data transformation as Choice Hotels pushes deeper into AI. Chairman Stewart Bainum Jr. said Keshavarz’s experience will strengthen the board as the company pursues long-term growth. Interim CEO Dominic Dragisich said the company expects to benefit from his perspective as it works to improve unit economics for hotel owners and apply AI across the business.
Choice Hotels said it operates more than 7,500 hotels across 51 countries and territories, with over 650,000 rooms and a portfolio of 22 brands. Following these announcements, the company's shares moved -0.48%, and are now trading at a price of $109.745. For the full picture, make sure to review CHOICE HOTELS INTERNATIONAL INC /DE's 8-K report.
