Ryuji Sawada
Managing Director, Tokyo, Japan
Ryuji Sawada joined Horwath HTL Japan as Managing Director in July 2026. A leading hospitality and real estate consultant with more than 20 years of specialized experience, Ryuji Sawada has advised hotel operators, developers, investors, financial institutions, and public-sector organizations across Japan.
Ryuji's career spans major financial institutions and global professional services firms, and he is widely recognized for shaping Japan’s modern hotel advisory landscape.
From 2016 to 2025, Ryuji served as a Partner at PwC Consulting LLC, leading the Real Estate & Hospitality practice. He advised clients on hotel business strategy—including organizational and operational design, marketing, HR, and systems development—as well as hotel development strategy, covering market and feasibility studies, concept design, operator selection, and hotel asset management. His work spans luxury hotels, select-service hotels, ryokans, resorts, theme parks, and large-scale mixed-use developments.
In 2007, he established Deloitte’s Tourism, Hospitality & Leisure (THL) practice in Japan, creating a dedicated advisory platform for hotel development, operator selection, feasibility studies, and management consulting. Under his leadership, the practice grew rapidly and became a recognized authority in Japan’s hospitality sector. He also organized and hosted a 300‑person hotel management conference annually, one of the largest industry-focused events in Japan at the time.
In 2000, Ryuji joined the Deloitte Tohmatsu Group and became a partner in 2005, where he worked in strategy consulting, M&A advisory, and corporate restructuring.
Sawada has an extensive record of external engagement. He served as a co-chair of the Hospitality Development Council of ULI. He has delivered keynote presentations and participated in panel sessions at major industry forums, including Sogo Unicom’s Hotel Management Forum, HICAP, and Leading Hotels of the World (LHW) Membership Meetings. His thought leadership includes contributions to Hitotsubashi Business Review, numerous industry journals, and frequent media appearances. He is also the author of “15 Points of Hotel Management”, a widely referenced publication among hotel operators and developers.
Ryuji has Bachelor of Law from Sophia University and completed his MBA at the University of Washington (Seattle).
