Ali Merali is responsible for overseeing Tricon’s Brand, Communications, Public Affairs, and Public Policy functions, along with strategic initiatives. He serves on the board of the National Rental Home Council and on the Policy Advisory Board of Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.
Prior to joining Tricon, Ali was Chief of Staff and Head of Special Projects at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health. In this role, he was instrumental in implementing strategic projects to support Ontario’s COVID-19 response strategy.
Before that, Ali was the Chief of Staff at Starwood Hotels & Resorts, where he oversaw global strategic initiatives related to Starwood’s digital, marketing, and customer experience efforts. He played a critical role in integrating the Starwood and Marriott teams after Marriott’s acquisition of Starwood. Prior to Starwood, Ali held various strategic and operational roles on President Obama’s presidential campaigns and within the Obama Administration.
Ali has a Bachelor of Science degree in Real Estate Finance from Cornell University and a Master in Public Policy from Harvard University.