REBNY Bucks Tradition, Asks Chairman to Stay...Again

Rob Speyer, president and CEO of Tishman Speyer, has been asked to stay on as REBNY chairman for a fifth year.

NEW YORK CITY—The Real Estate Board of New York just can’t get enough of Rob Speyer. GlobeSt.com has confirmed reports that the real estate advocacy organization has chosen to have Speyer to serve another year—his fifth—as the organization’s chairman. The real estate executive is the  president and CEO of Tishman Speyer and is currently serving his fourth year as chairman of REBNY. “I am pleased to report that Rob Speyer, the president and CEO of Tishman Speyer, has agreed to remain as chairman of REBNY through December 31, 2017,” says REBNY president John Banks, in a statement to the organization’s board that was provided to Globest.com  “Rob’s continued leadership role at REBNY will be critical over the next 16 months as our industry addresses a series of issues on the local, state and federal levels.” He adds, “Rob has been a tremendous asset to me since I joined REBNY in 2015, and I am greatly appreciative of his ongoing support as well as his dedication to New York City and our industry.” Some of the key issues Speyer and REBNY president Banks continue to work on include the expiration of the 421a tax abatement and the Midtown East rezoning, which could lead to significant new development opportunities in that area. While a fifth year of office as REBNY chairman is unusual, the longest tenured chairman of the organization was Bernard H. Mendik, the former chairperson of the Mendik Co., who served as REBNY chair from 1992-2001. In 2013, Speyer succeeded CBRE executive Mary Ann Tighe, who served as REBNY chairperson from 2010-2012. “I am honored to have been asked to extend my term as chairman through 2017,” Speyer says in a statement that appears in the Commercial Observer . “I am also grateful for the opportunity to further my collaboration with John (Banks), his team and the entire Board of Governors as we collectively pursue an aggressive growth agenda for our city and the real estate industry.” Speyer was named sole CEO of Tishman Speyer in September 2015. He previously served as president and Co-CEO from 2008 to 2015. He joined Tishman Speyer in 1995 and held leadership roles in each of the firm’s major departments, including acquisitions, development, capital markets and leasing. During his tenure at the firm, he has guided the company’s transformation as it has grown, both in the United States and internationally, from its origins in development to its current position as a global real estate investment management firm.