Management

BXP's senior management team is among the most respected and accomplished in the REIT industry. Our deep and talented team averages 32 years of real estate experience and 21 years with BXP. We believe that our size, management depth, financial strength, reputation, and relationships of key personnel provide a competitive advantage and enable us to maximize shareholder value.

 

Management

Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
Owen D. Thomas

Owen D. Thomas is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BXP. He has served as the CEO and a director of BXP since April 2013, and he was appointed Chairman of the Board in May 2022.

Mr. Thomas is a Director of Lehman Brothers Holdings and served as its first Chairman from 2012 until 2013 when he joined BXP. Prior to Lehman, Mr. Thomas was with Morgan Stanley for 24 years serving in a number of different roles, business units and locations, including Chief Executive Officer of Morgan Stanley Asia and Chairman of Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities, while living in Hong Kong from 2008 until 2011. He also held the roles of President of Morgan Stanley Investment Management, Head of Morgan Stanley Real Estate and served on Morgan Stanley's Management Committee from 2005 until 2011.

Mr. Thomas is a Director of the Real Estate Roundtable, a member of the Advisory Board of Governors of the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts and a member of the Economic Club of New York. He is former Chairman of the Urban Land Institute and of the Pension Real Estate Association. He attended and is Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Woodberry Forest School, received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Virginia and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

President and Director
Douglas T. Linde

Douglas T. Linde has more than 37 years of experience in the real estate industry, including as President of BXP and our former Chief Financial Officer, during which time he gained extensive knowledge of the real estate industry, capital markets and real estate finance, as well as substantial experience in transactional, operational and accounting matters.

Mr. Linde is the President of BXP.  Prior to his appointment as President in May 2007, he served as Executive Vice President since January 2005 and he also served as Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer from 2000 until November 2007. He joined BXP in January 1997 as Vice President of Acquisitions and New Business to help identify and execute acquisitions and to develop new business opportunities, and he was promoted to Senior Vice President for Financial and Capital Markets in October 1998.

Prior to joining BXP, Mr. Linde served from 1993 to 1997 as President of Capstone Investments, a Boston real estate investment company. From 1989 to 1993, he served as Project Manager and Assistant to the Chief Financial Officer at Wright Runstad and Company, a private real estate developer in Seattle, WA. He began his career in the real estate industry with Salomon Brothers' Real Estate Finance Group.

Mr. Linde is a Trustee of the Beth Israel Lahey Health Board of Trustees. Mr. Linde is also a Director Emeritus of the Board of Directors of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center ("BIDMC") and co-chairs the BIDMC capital campaign. He is a member of the Real Estate Roundtable and is Trustee Emeritus of the Wesleyan University Board of Trustees.  He is a former member of the Boston Municipal Research Bureau and Jobs for Massachusetts and the Urban Studies and Planning Visiting Committee at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Mr. Linde received a BA from Wesleyan University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Senior Executive Vice President
Raymond A. Ritchey

Raymond A. Ritchey serves as Senior Executive Vice President of BXP. Prior to his appointment to this position in January 2016, Mr. Ritchey held various positions at BXP since 1980, including, Executive Vice President, Head of our Washington, DC Office and National Director of Acquisitions and Development and Senior Vice President and Co-Manager of our Washington, DC office. Mr. Ritchey is responsible for supporting BXP’s Washington, DC, Los Angeles, and Seattle regional businesses, as well as coordinating companywide leasing and cross regional client relationships. Mr. Ritchey joined us in 1980, leading our expansion to become one of the dominant real estate firms in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. From 1977 to 1980, Mr. Ritchey was one of the leading commercial real estate brokers in the Washington, DC area with Coldwell Banker. Mr. Ritchey is the President of the Board of Spanish Education Development (SED) Center; a member of the Federal City Council; a member of The Economic Club of Washington; and a Founding member of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP), Northern Virginia. A sampling of Mr. Ritchey's professional honors include: ULI Lifetime Achievement Award; Man of the Year, CREW; Brendan McCarthy Award, GWCAR; Good Scout of the Year, Boy Scouts; Trendsetter of the Year, Transwestern; Developer of the Year (numerous organizations); Junior Achievement Man of the Year; and Washington Business Hall of Fame. He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and a graduate of the U.S. Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, California.

Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
Michael E. LaBelle

Michael E. LaBelle serves as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of BXP. He was named Executive Vice President in January 2016 and Chief Financial Officer in October of 2007. Prior to that, Mr. LaBelle served as Senior Vice President of Finance & Capital Markets. Since joining BXP in March 2000, Mr. Labelle has held positions, including Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer from November 2007 to January 2016 and Senior Vice President, Finance from February 2005 to November 2007. His primary responsibilities include overseeing finance, capital markets, accounting, investor relations, tax, internal audit, treasury management, credit underwriting, and financial strategy and planning. Prior to joining BXP, Mr. LaBelle was a Vice President & Relationship Manager with Fleet National Bank from 1991 to 2000 with the responsibility of financing large-scale commercial real estate developments. He started his career as an Associate National Bank Examiner with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency in New York City specializing in commercial real estate debt portfolio analysis and valuation in commercial banks located throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States. He serves as member of the National Advisory Board for the University of Colorado Real Estate Center and a member of the Board of the Legacy Fund of the Medfield Foundation. Mr. LaBelle holds a BS degree in Economics from the University of Colorado.

Executive Vice President, Boston Region
Bryan J. Koop

Bryan J. Koop serves as Executive Vice President, Boston Region of BXP. Prior to his appointment to this position in January 2016, Mr. Koop served as Senior Vice President and Regional Manager of our Boston office since 1999. Mr. Koop is responsible for overseeing the operation of our existing regional portfolio in the Boston area, which includes the Boston CBD, Cambridge, and Waltham/Lexington submarkets. He is also responsible for developing new business opportunities in the area. Prior to joining BXP in 1999, Mr. Koop served at Trammell Crow Company from 1982 to 1999 where his career covered high-rise office building leasing and the development of commercial office buildings and shopping centers. From 1993 to 1999, his position was Managing Director and Regional Leader for Trammell Crow Company's New England region, which included all commercial office and shopping center operations. Mr. Koop is a member of the Board of Directors for the Massachusetts Chapter of NAIOP, the Boston Green Ribbon Commission and the Kendall Square Association and previously served as chairman of the Back Bay Association. Mr. Koop received a BBA and an MBA from Texas Christian University.

Executive Vice President, West Coast Regions
Rodney C. Diehl

Rodney C. Diehl serves as Executive Vice President, West Coast Regions for BXP. Mr. Diehl is the executive in charge of BXP’s West Coast operations, responsible for the strategic direction and management of the San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle Regions. Prior to his appointment to this role, Mr. Diehl was SVP, Leasing, San Francisco, responsible for all Bay Area leasing activities. Prior to joining BXP in 2005, Mr. Diehl worked for Bedford Property Investors where he held positions of Senior Vice President of Acquisitions and Regional Manager for Northern California. He also worked for Koll Management Services and Cushman & Wakefield throughout his 30+ years in the commercial real estate industry.

Mr. Diehl is a licensed real estate broker in the State of California, and is a member of ULI, NAIOP and ICSC. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of California at Davis and a Master of Business Administration from St. Mary’s College.

Executive Vice President, New York Region
Hilary Spann

Hilary Spann serves as Executive Vice President, New York Region. Ms. Spann brings to the Company more than 20 years of real estate investment and development experience, most recently the Head of Americas for Real Estate at CPP Investments. During her tenure at CPP, Ms. Spann was responsible for leading all aspects of the Americas real estate business, including investment strategy and execution, talent acquisition and management, and portfolio management. Prior to joining CPP Investments in 2016, Ms. Spann held several executive roles in acquisitions and asset management in the Global Alternatives Group at J.P. Morgan Asset Management, including as the head of acquisitions for the northeast region for real estate. In addition to her responsibilities at BXP, Ms. Spann is an independent Director of Goodman (ASX:GMG). Ms. Spann is a Trustee of the Urban Land Institute, and she sits on the board of Governors of the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY). Ms. Spann is also a member of the Economic Club of New York and a Trustee of the Madison Square Park Conservancy. Ms. Spann graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a Bachelors of Science and a Masters of City Planning, both from the College of Architecture. She also studied architecture at the Ecole d’Architecture de Paris – La Villette.

Executive Vice President, Co-Head of the Washington, DC Region
Pete Otteni

Pete Otteni serves as Executive Vice President, Co-Head of the Washington, DC Region of BXP. In this role, Mr. Otteni is responsible for all regional business activities and is directly responsible for overseeing project development, construction and marketing activities for BXP’s Washington, DC region. Prior to his appointment to this position in January 2022, Mr. Otteni served as Senior Vice President, Co-Head of the Washington, DC Region. Mr. Otteni joined BXP in 2000 and held various other positions in the Development department, including Vice President, Development from 2006 to 2016, and Senior Vice President and Head of Development from 2017 to 2021. Mr. Otteni is a member of the Board of the National Capital Area Region for the March of Dimes. Mr. Otteni received a BS in Commerce from the University of Virginia and an MBA from the University of North Carolina, Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Executive Vice President, Co-Head of the Washington, DC Region
Jake Stroman

Jake Stroman serves as Executive Vice President, Co-Head of the Washington, DC Region of BXP. In this role, Mr. Stroman is jointly responsible for regional business activities, and he is directly responsible for overseeing the leasing, legal and property management activities of BXP’s Washington, DC region. Prior to his appointment to this position in January 2022, Mr. Stroman served as Senior Vice President, Co-Head of the Washington, DC Region. Mr. Stroman joined BXP in 2005 and held various other positions, including Vice President, Development from 2011 to 2019, Vice President, Leasing from 2019 to 2020 and Senior Vice President, Leasing from 2020 to April 2021. Mr. Stroman received a BS in Civil Engineering from the Johns Hopkins University and an MBA, Real Estate Development from the University of North Carolina, Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer
Donna D. Garesché

Donna D. Garesché has served as Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer of BXP since February 2023. In this role, Ms. Garesché is responsible for leading and executing the company’s human capital strategy. Since joining BXP in 2010, Ms. Garesché has provided strategic direction on human resource initiatives related to talent management, leadership development, succession planning, structuring competitive benefit and compensation systems, performance management, training and development, and employee relations. Ms. Garesché has held various positions at BXP, including Vice President Human Resources from 2010 to 2016, Senior Vice President, Human Resources from 2016 to 2020 and Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer from 2020 to February 2023. Before joining BXP, Ms. Garesché served as Vice President, Human Resources for AEW Capital Management, a global real estate investment management firm. Prior to joining AEW, she served as Director, Human Resources for Beacon Properties, a real estate investment trust. Ms. Garesché received a BA from Saint Anselm College, an MA from Boston College, and holds an Executive & Organizational Coaching Professional certification from Columbia University.

Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary
Eric G. Kevorkian

Eric G. Kevorkian has served as Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary of BXP since June 2022. In this role he is responsible for overseeing the legal and risk management departments. Mr. Kevorkian joined BXP in 2003 in a newly created role of Vice President, Corporate Counsel and was subsequently promoted to Senior Vice President, Senior Corporate Counsel in 2008. In those roles, Mr. Kevorkian was responsible for advising the Board of Directors and senior management on all securities law, corporate governance, general corporate law, executive compensation, REIT compliance, and tax matters. He also participates in the corporate and tax structuring of BXP’s real estate and significant joint venture transactions. Mr. Kevorkian also plays a key role in BXP’s corporate financings, including more than $30 billion of public and private debt and equity offerings. From 1995 to 2003, Mr. Kevorkian worked at Goodwin Procter LLP, where he was a member of the firm’s M&A/Corporate Governance and REITs & Real Estate Capital Markets practice groups and was elected Partner in May 2002. Mr. Kevorkian has been a member of Nareit for more than 20 years, is the Vice Chair of Nareit’s Corporate Governance Council and is a frequent speaker at Nareit conferences. Mr. Kevorkian currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Hockomock Area YMCA, a position he has held since June 2021. He has served as a member of the Board since June 2015 and was Vice Chair of the Board from June 2018 to June 2021. Mr. Kevorkian earned a JD, magna cum laude, and an MPA from Syracuse University, and a BA in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania. He also earned an LLM in Taxation from Boston University.

Chief Information Technology Officer and Senior Vice President
James Whalen

James Whalen serves as Senior Vice President, Chief Information and Technology Officer for BXP where he is responsible for the direction and implementation of technology, applications and security. Prior to joining the Company in March 1998, he served as Vice President, Information Systems of Beacon Properties. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and a recipient of the New York City Urban Fellowship. Mr. Whalen is a current trustee and past President of the Boston Chapter of the Society for Information Management (SIM) and serves on the Realcomm Advisory Council, TechHire Boston and Boston Private Industry Council.

Senior Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer
Michael R. Walsh

Michael R. Walsh serves as Senior Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer of BXP. He is responsible for overseeing financial reporting, property accounting and tax compliance and provides transactional support on capital markets activity. From March 2015 to March 2016, Mr. Walsh served as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of Paramount Group, Inc. (“Paramount”), a real estate investment trust focused on Class A office properties in New York City, Washington, DC and San Francisco. Before joining Paramount, Mr. Walsh was Senior Vice President, Finance and Capital Markets at BXP where he served in various capacities since 1986 and was most recently responsible for overseeing its accounting, financial reporting, financial analysis and tax functions and participated extensively in investor relations matters. Mr. Walsh is Co-Chair of Nareit’s Accounting Committee, a member of Nareit’s Best Financial Practices Council, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Boston Athletic Academy, a non-profit youth development organization that combines athletics with education. Mr. Walsh received a BS, magna cum laude, from Eastern Nazarene College.

Senior Vice President, Finance & Capital Markets
James Magaldi

James Magaldi serves as Senior Vice President, Finance & Capital Markets. Mr. Magaldi’s primary responsibilities include raising public and private debt and equity to fund BXP’s business activities, acquisition and disposition activities, interfacing with the rating agencies, treasury investments, private equity initiatives and relationship management, and client credit underwriting. Prior to joining BXP in 2008, Mr. Magaldi was with Bank of America for ten years, and served as Senior Vice President in charge of a team of commercial real estate loan originators and portfolio managers. During Mr. Magaldi’s tenure at Bank of America, he also served as Senior Vice President (Relationship Manager), responsible for commercial real estate finance on a corporate and property specific basis. He started his career as commercial real estate credit analyst with Fleet National Bank. Mr. Magaldi holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of the Holy Cross.

Senior Vice President, Sustainability
Ben Myers

Ben Myers serves as Senior Vice President, Sustainability, where he is responsible for sustainability and ESG strategy, implementation, reporting, and stakeholder engagement. He has a genuine passion for sustainable real estate and is committed to disrupting the status quo as an industry leader on climate action, resilience, green building, renewable energy, healthy workspaces, and urban ecosystems. Prior to being appointed to the role in 2015, Mr. Myers held positions in construction management at the Company, as well as green building services at Harvard University. Mr. Myers holds an MA in Urban Environmental Leadership from Lesley University and a BS in Civil & Environmental Engineering from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Senior Vice President, Corporate Marketing & Communications
Laura M. Sesody
Laura M. Sesody serves as Senior Vice President, Corporate Marketing & Communications, where she is responsible for leading and executing the strategic development and promotion of the Company’s brand and marketing communications to both external and internal stakeholders. Prior to her appointment to this role in September 2019, Ms. Sesody held a number of roles in Leasing and Marketing for BXP. She is a board member of the Margaret Fuller Neighborhood House in Cambridge, MA. Ms. Sesody received a BA and an MBA from Boston College.
Vice President, Investor Relations
Helen Han

Helen Han serves as Vice President, Investor Relations for BXP where she is responsible for leading and executing the investor relations program and ensuring BXP is appropriately and strategically positioned with analysts, investors, and stakeholders. Prior to her appointment to this role in 2022, Ms. Han was the head of marketing for the San Francisco region as well as the Los Angeles and Seattle regions. She is a graduate from the University of California Los Angeles. Ms. Han sat on several boards on the West Coast including BOMA California, BOMA SF Political Action Committee, Transbay Joint Powers Authority Citizen Advisory Committee, Guadalupe River Park Conservancy and the Children’s Creativity Museum.