Alice Sherman
Alice Sherman is the Chief Executive Officer of HVS Executive Search, where she leads the firm’s global practice from Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., and oversees a world-class team serving the hospitality, restaurant, and private equity sectors.
With a career that began in fine dining restaurants and boutique hotels, Alice brings hands-on operational experience across recruitment, training, openings, development, and brand communications. Prior to assuming the role of CEO, she led the Americas practice where she drove transformative growth, expanded the firm’s sector influence, and built long-standing partnerships with global hospitality brands, emerging concepts, and private equity investors.
Under her leadership, HVS Executive Search has strengthened its reputation for precision, discretion, and industry-specific intelligence - pairing companies with executives who accelerate growth, elevate culture, and deliver meaningful long-term value. Alice is known for her strategic, relationship-driven approach and her ability to advise ownership groups, C-suites, and boards on leadership architecture, succession planning, and organizational design.
Alice also serves as President of the Board for Jewish National Fund’s YPLA chapter and holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Miami.
HVS Executive Search demonstrated a commitment to excellence by managing interview logistics and maintained consistent follow-up throughout the entire process. Their communication was clear, timely, and professional, which made the experience seamless. The level of insight and the quality of candidate recommendations that HVS Executive Search contributed to the search process were impressive.
I recommend HVS Executive Search to any organization seeking top-tier executive talent and a recruiting partner that goes above and beyond to drive results."
-Celene Buffington | Vice President of Human Resources, Senterra
"I am writing to let you know how much I appreciate and thank you for the exceptional services provided by HVS. Your commitment to excellence, attention to detail, and unwavering dedication to customer satisfaction have made a significant impact on our business.
We had the pleasure of partnering with HVS with five recent executive searches as our organization had two retirements along with expansion into new markets, and their team consistently exceeded our expectations. They demonstrated a profound understanding of our needs and delivered candidates that not only met but often exceeded our requirements. HVS stands out for its professionalism and expertise. Their team's extensive knowledge, combined with their innovative approach, helped us navigate the recruiting process. They were responsive, communicative, and proactive, ensuring that we were always well-informed and involved in the decision-making process.
The impact of HVS's services on our business has been remarkable. Moreover, their commitment to quality and integrity has earned our trust, making them a valued long-term partner. Your dedication and exceptional work have made a lasting impression on our organization. I have no hesitation in recommending HVS to any business needing top-tier recruiting services. Thank you once again for your outstanding support, and we look forward to continuing our successful partnership."
-Jason Gulshen | Chief Operating Officer, Harrison Group
"The HVS Executive Search is extremely professional. I highly enjoyed my overall experience with them, and my search was completed a lot faster than I believed it would be. This team actually takes the time to listen and understand the needs of the business as well as the needs of the candidates.
They do not put people in front of you that they do not believe would be a good fit overall for the brand. They take their time to vet all of their people thoroughly and make sure that they understand the process along the way. In all honesty, this could not have been easier with them."
-John Iannucci | Chief Executive Officer, Mas Mex Restaurant Group
"The HVS team represent a truly stellar, high-calibre level of professionalism and deep industry knowledge. This is not your run-of-the-mill, commoditised recruitment service. They know the sector inside-out, and their commitment and passion for placement goes beyond a mere engagement.
Despite having to start on the back foot because we previously exhausted a pool of candidates with contingency recruiters before approaching them, the team worked tirelessly to sole-source new leads. The search was incredibly specific, with niche requirements that created further challenges along the way, but the team continually cracked on without discouragement.
We ended up with a great result, due to their unrelenting efforts throughout. The levels of responsiveness, time-zone coverage, and care went beyond anything I've seen from any agency (in any sector)."
-Donald Cunningham | Chief Operating Officer
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Alice Sherman
Chief Executive Officer
Alice Sherman is the Chief Executive Officer of HVS Executive Search, where she leads the firm’s global practice from Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., and oversees a world-class team serving the hospitality, restaurant, and private equity sectors.
With a career that began in fine dining restaurants and boutique hotels, Alice brings hands-on operational experience across recruitment, training, openings, development, and brand communications. Prior to assuming the role of CEO, she led the Americas practice where she drove transformative growth, expanded the firm’s sector influence, and built long-standing partnerships with global hospitality brands, emerging concepts, and private equity investors.
Under her leadership, HVS Executive Search has strengthened its reputation for precision, discretion, and industry-specific intelligence - pairing companies with executives who accelerate growth, elevate culture, and deliver meaningful long-term value. Alice is known for her strategic, relationship-driven approach and her ability to advise ownership groups, C-suites, and boards on leadership architecture, succession planning, and organizational design.
Alice also serves as President of the Board for Jewish National Fund’s YPLA chapter and holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Miami.
HVS Executive Search demonstrated a commitment to excellence by managing interview logistics and maintained consistent follow-up throughout the entire process. Their communication was clear, timely, and professional, which made the experience seamless. The level of insight and the quality of candidate recommendations that HVS Executive Search contributed to the search process were impressive.
I recommend HVS Executive Search to any organization seeking top-tier executive talent and a recruiting partner that goes above and beyond to drive results."
-Celene Buffington | Vice President of Human Resources, Senterra
"I am writing to let you know how much I appreciate and thank you for the exceptional services provided by HVS. Your commitment to excellence, attention to detail, and unwavering dedication to customer satisfaction have made a significant impact on our business.
We had the pleasure of partnering with HVS with five recent executive searches as our organization had two retirements along with expansion into new markets, and their team consistently exceeded our expectations. They demonstrated a profound understanding of our needs and delivered candidates that not only met but often exceeded our requirements. HVS stands out for its professionalism and expertise. Their team's extensive knowledge, combined with their innovative approach, helped us navigate the recruiting process. They were responsive, communicative, and proactive, ensuring that we were always well-informed and involved in the decision-making process.
The impact of HVS's services on our business has been remarkable. Moreover, their commitment to quality and integrity has earned our trust, making them a valued long-term partner. Your dedication and exceptional work have made a lasting impression on our organization. I have no hesitation in recommending HVS to any business needing top-tier recruiting services. Thank you once again for your outstanding support, and we look forward to continuing our successful partnership."
-Jason Gulshen | Chief Operating Officer, Harrison Group
"The HVS Executive Search is extremely professional. I highly enjoyed my overall experience with them, and my search was completed a lot faster than I believed it would be. This team actually takes the time to listen and understand the needs of the business as well as the needs of the candidates.
They do not put people in front of you that they do not believe would be a good fit overall for the brand. They take their time to vet all of their people thoroughly and make sure that they understand the process along the way. In all honesty, this could not have been easier with them."
-John Iannucci | Chief Executive Officer, Mas Mex Restaurant Group
"The HVS team represent a truly stellar, high-calibre level of professionalism and deep industry knowledge. This is not your run-of-the-mill, commoditised recruitment service. They know the sector inside-out, and their commitment and passion for placement goes beyond a mere engagement.
Despite having to start on the back foot because we previously exhausted a pool of candidates with contingency recruiters before approaching them, the team worked tirelessly to sole-source new leads. The search was incredibly specific, with niche requirements that created further challenges along the way, but the team continually cracked on without discouragement.
We ended up with a great result, due to their unrelenting efforts throughout. The levels of responsiveness, time-zone coverage, and care went beyond anything I've seen from any agency (in any sector)."
-Donald Cunningham | Chief Operating Officer
AI and the Next Wave of Hotel Technology
From dynamic pricing engines and chatbot concierges to predictive maintenance and personalized guest journeys, AI is redefining how hotels operate, market, and deliver services to their customers.
Immigration Policy and the Hospitality Workforce: Navigating Labor Challenges with Strategic Resilience
Immigration policy is reshaping how hotels find and keep talent. This article explores why U.S. hospitality’s heavy reliance on foreign-born workers makes visa caps, enforcement shifts, and processing delays critical business issues – and shows how forward-thinking operators are diversifying recruitment, strengthening internal pipelines, and building resilience to protect service quality and profitability.
Future-Proofing Hospitality: Rethinking Succession Planning
Succession planning is too often reactive in hospitality — but it doesn’t have to be. Drawing on firsthand experience with CEO succession, this article explores how to build internal leadership pipelines and when to look outside for talent. It makes the case for treating succession as a long-term investment, and outlines how executive search partners can support pivotal leadership transitions.
The Evolving Workplace
In this article we explore how companies in the hospitality industry are attracting and retaining talent by creating a progressive culture and evolved workspace.