MIAMI—Less than a month after announcing that CEO Jeffrey S. Olson is stepping down, Equity One has named a replacement. The shopping center owner, developer, and operator just announced David Lukes, 44, is joining the company as executive vice president no later than May 31, 2014.

Lukes brings plenty to Equity's table. Indeed, his experience includes all aspects of commercial real estate development and operations. He will step into the CEO seat when Olson departs later this year.

“We are delighted that David Lukes has agreed to join the Equity One team as we move through an orderly leadership transition and intensify our focus on extracting value from our upgraded portfolio,” says Chaim Katzman, chairman of Equity. “David brings a unique combination of skills including architectural vision and operational expertise that are key to realizing the full potential of Equity One's properties.