Maya Whiteley is a Managing Director with Alvarez & Marsal’s Real Estate, Travel, Hospitality & Leisure practice in the Middle East. She advises clients on landmark destinations, tourism strategies, and large-scale mixed-use developments, combining strategic vision with practical delivery and investment expertise. Her experience spans asset and fund management, development and tourism strategy, concept and brand development, destination activation, and strategic advisory services across the hospitality, real estate, and leisure sectors.​

Maya has worked extensively with sovereign entities, developers, and investors across the Middle East on integrated destinations, hospitality platforms, and economic diversification programs. She combines advisory expertise with direct developer-side experience, enabling her to deliver commercially grounded and execution-ready solutions.​

Maya’s notable assignments include:​

• Leading multiple mandates across Saudi Arabia, covering concept development, thematic strategy, activation strategy, financial feasibility, economic impact analysis, and organizational structure advisory for integrated destinations including AMAALA, Wadi Al Disah, Red Sea Project, Umm Al Qura, New Murabba, NEOM, and confidential Riyadh and Jeddah mixed-use developments. ​
• Advising the Ministry of Tourism and Aseer Province on tourism strategies designed to attract domestic and international investment. ​
• Spearheading hospitality strategy work in Dubai to assess market opportunities, identify growth concepts, and evaluate portfolio scenarios for the Meraas Hospitality Division. ​
• Developing concepts and strategic business plans for the launch of several new hospitality companies and brands. ​
• Leading economic impact studies for the Ras Al Khaimah government and delivering corporate growth strategies and development advisory work for leading national developers.​

Prior to A&M, Maya led the Strategy and Transactions Real Estate, Hospitality, and Tourism practice at a Big 4 advisory firm, working with sovereign entities, investors, and developers across the MENA region for 14 years. Previously, she served on the developer side, where she led project development, fund management, and the execution of award-winning sales and marketing campaigns for a portfolio of luxury hospitality, residential, commercial, retail, and leisure assets in Southeast Asia.​

Maya holds a master’s degree from The Fletcher School at Tufts University and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania.  ​