Driftwood Capital has announced that Carlos Rodriguez Jr. has been appointed CEO.
The appointment reflects a natural leadership transition as the firm continues to grow. Rodriguez Jr. has served as president and COO since co-founding Driftwood Capital with Carlos Rodriguez Sr. in 2015. Rodriguez Sr., who has led Driftwood Capital since its founding, will continue as executive chairman.
“Carlos has been at the center of Driftwood Capital’s evolution from the beginning,” said Rodriguez Sr. “I’ve had a front-row seat to his growth as a leader, and he has helped shape our investment approach, our culture, and the way we work across the firm and its subsidiaries. This transition reflects the leadership role he has already been playing and positions the firm well for its next stage.”
Over the past decade, Driftwood Capital has grown from an entrepreneurial hospitality investment firm into a scaled owner, developer and lender, with approximately $3.5 billion in hospitality assets under management, more than $1 billion in projects under construction/ development, participation in over $2 billion in loan originations and more than 80 hotels under management through its subsidiary, Driftwood Hospitality Management.
“I’m proud of what we’ve built at Driftwood Capital alongside our investors, partners, and team,” said Rodriguez Jr. “That includes the foundation my father established, and the longstanding relationships built with the stakeholders over many years. We’ve grown by staying close to our investments and maintaining accountability across our vertically integrated model. As CEO, my focus is to strengthen coordination across our people, data, and systems so we can continue to execute consistently while scaling thoughtfully.”