TWO POWERHOUSES JOIN HIGHGATE
Highgate has announced the appointments of Matt Greene to executive vice president, luxury residences and Elizabeth Redmond to chief accounting officer.
Before joining Highgate, Greene served as executive vice president, lifestyle operations for Evolution Hospitality & Aimbridge Hospitality, where he oversaw the Lifestyle hotel portfolio and 10+ new hotel developments across the US and Mexico. In this newly-created position, Greene will report to chief executive officer Arash Azarbarzin and oversee Highgate’s growing portfolio of managed condo-hotels and residences, such as The Elser Hotel in Miami and The Altair Hotel in Bay Harbor.
Redmond joined Choice Hotels in 2007 as director of compliance and was later promoted to senior director, accounting & compliance; vice president, financial reporting & accounting; and chief accounting officer. In her new role, Redmond will be responsible for leading Highgate’s global accounting operations and driving innovation across Highgate’s accounting and reporting practices.
“I’m excited to be working with people whom I have respected and trusted for decades – and to be working on this new vertical at Highgate that presents such a significant opportunity to create value,” said Matt Greene. “With the benefit of my background in residential development and operations, I look forward to leveraging the resources of Highgate’s best-in-class organization able to maximize the potential of these assets and to deliver differentiated residential experiences.”
“I am thrilled to lead a team of dedicated professionals at Highgate, an organization that is well-respected throughout the industry for its operational capabilities, growth trajectory, track record of innovation, and for its ability to attract best-in-class talent,” said Redmond.

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