Bill Rudin to replace Rob Speyer as REBNY chair

Speyer has held the position for more than four years

Bill Rudin (credit: Studio Scrivo)
Bill Rudin (credit: Studio Scrivo)

Bill Rudin was nominated Thursday to replace Rob Speyer as chair of the Real Estate Board of New York, putting the head of Rudin Management at the helm of one of the city’s most powerful lobbying groups.

The lobbying group’s board of governors is slated to vote on the appointment June 15, Politico reported.

Speyer, the CEO of developer Tishman Speyer, made the nomination and will remain in the post until January of 2018, which will mark his fifth year as chairman. Speyer was instrumental in negotiations between REBNY and the Building Trades construction lobby over prevailing wage provisions in the 421a developer tax exemption law. John Banks will remain REBNY’s president.

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Rudin, who oversees more than 10 million square feet of property in New York City as the CEO of family-run development firm Rudin Management, already holds other key lobbying chairmanships. In 2015, Rudin was made chair of the Real Estate Roundtable, one of the most influential real estate lobbying groups at the federal government level.

Last month, Rudin was rumored to have met with White House advisers Jared Kushner and Gary Cohn in Washington. [Politico] — Will Parker