Key Executives is pleased to announce the Top 25 Chief Operating Officers of New York for 2024. In the post-colonial era, New York got its nickname of “The Empire State” because of its vast wealth and resources. That foundation set New York on a path to where it is today as a hub of industry, culture, and education. This year’s awardees are among the thousands of C-suite executives who do business in the Empire State, and their contributions have helped their companies reach new heights while supporting the country’s third-largest economy. 

Among this year’s awardees is Anjan Sur, Ciklum’s Chief Operations Officer, who, in his career, guided a sale process culminating in a transaction worth approximately $1.6 billion. Another notable awardee is Colin Smith, the Chief Operating Officer of SageSure, who helped raise over $800 million of capital from institutional investors. We’re also honoring Shivani York, a seasoned executive and Global Chief Operating Officer of Ookla, who was a key player in expanding the company’s global presence by facilitating multiple acquisitions and integrations.

Each awardee was chosen after a methodical selection process to evaluate their influence, impact, and career achievements. The men and women on this list are the driving force behind some of New York’s most prominent companies. Please join us in recognizing the Top 25 Chief Operating Officers of New York for 2024.

 

1. Anjan Sur
Chief Operating Officer, Ciklum

Anjan Sur is the Chief Operating Officer of Ciklum, a global experience engineering firm that blends engineering and AI to deliver high-quality customer experiences. For more than two decades, Ciklum has led the creation of digital solutions and helped businesses achieve growth. Sur has 28 years of functional expertise in a variety of leadership roles in a Fortune 200 organization, spanning enterprise transformation, global FPandA, controllership, treasury, investor relations, MandA, business operations, and commercial deal structuring. He began his career in 1996 and joined Ciklum in 2022.

Before joining Ciklum, Sur was chief financial officer at PK and senior vice president, enterprise transformation head, at Cognizant. At PK, he led a sale process that successfully culminated in a ~$1.6 billion transaction and the second-richest exit for the specific investment fund of the PE.

Earlier in his career, he worked as a business analyst with GE Capital. Sur graduated from London Business School with a MBA and a bachelor's of science from St. Stephen's College, Delhi.

 

2. Adam Klaber
Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer, Imagine Learning

Adam Klaber began his professional career 38 years ago. Today, he is the Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer of Imagine Learning, a company that provides K–12 solutions, supporting more than 15 million students nationwide. Its core portfolio includes Twig Science®, Imagine Learning Illustrative Mathematics®, and Imagine Learning EL Education®. The company’s supplemental and intervention suite equips learners with personalized instruction for English and Spanish literacy, math, coding, and more. Klaber joined Imagine Learning in 2013 and led the Performance Matters business, which was sold to PowerSchool in 2018. 

Klaber started in 1986 as a partner at Price Waterhouse Management Consultants. From there, he went on to IBM GBS before eventually rising to chief executive officer at Performance Matters, LLC, his most recent position before joining Imagine Learning. At Performance Matters, he led the business through its successful sale to Vista Equity Partners in 2018.

Klaber graduated from Columbia Business School with his MBA and from the University of Hartford with a bachelor’s in economics.

 

3. Anneloes Hesen
Chief Operating Officer, Arcesium

Anneloes Hesen is the Chief Operating Officer of Arcesium. She joined the company in 2020. Arcesium is a global financial technology company that delivers pre- and post-investment and enterprise data management solutions to some of the world’s largest financial institutions, including hedge funds, banks, institutional asset managers, and private equity firms. Arcesium’s cloud-native technology is built to systematize complex tasks and help clients achieve scale.

Prior to joining Arcesium, Hesen held various leadership roles in strategy, data and analytics, digital product development, and operations at Marsh, most recently as a managing director. During her tenure, she was responsible for product development and operations at MarketConnect, a platform of Marsh’s Insurer Consulting Group, and built a global team to lead consumer and small commercial product development at Marsh Digital. Later, she joined Marsh’s Financial and Professional Liability (FINPRO) practice as chief operating officer and strategic execution lead. Earlier in her career, Hesen served as a strategy consultant with Oliver Wyman in their New York office. 

Hesen holds a dual master’s in technology and policy programs and civil engineering and environmental engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a master’s in science and business management from Utrecht University. 

 

4. Celine Dufetel
President and Chief Operating Officer, Checkout.com

Celine Dufetel is the President and Chief Operating Officer of Checkout.com, a financial technology company that provides a cloud-based payment platform for enterprises and scaling businesses to process payments, send payouts, and manage card programs. Checkout.com is headquartered in London, with offices in New York, Paris, Dubai, Hong Kong, and other locations across six continents. In her role as President and COO of Checkout.com, Dufetel oversees the company’s financial, treasury, and strategy functions. She joined in August 2021 and is based in the company’s New York office.

Dufetel has 10 years of experience and began her career in 2014. Before Checkout.com, Dufetel was the chief operating officer and financial officer of Fortune 500 asset manager T. Rowe Price for three years. Before that, she was a managing director and global head of marketing, product management, and client services at Neuberger Berman and a partner at McKinsey and Company. A native of France, Dufetel earned bachelor's and master's degrees in applied mathematics and economics from École Polytechnique in Paris and a master's in finance from Princeton.

 

5. Nicole Nakashian
Chief Operating Officer, InvestCloud

Nicole Nakashian began her professional career 26 years ago. Today, she is the Chief Operating Officer of InvestCloud, a no-code software platform for digital and commerce enablement within the financial industry. Its product suite includes Digital Wealth, comprised of solutions for individuals and advisors, and The APL Network, a single repository that supports trading and reporting for multi-vehicle/multi-asset accounts, UMAs, and more. InvestCloud was founded in 2010 and now has over 550 direct clients and over $6 trillion in assets. Its offices are in New York, Los Angeles, London, Geneva, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore and Sydney. 

As Head of the Platform Division at InvestCloud, Nakashian ensures that the company delivers a secure and scalable infrastructure combined with client-centric support. She started in 1998 as a vice president at BlackRock Financial. From there, she went on to Andor Capital Management before eventually rising to chief information officer at Conifer Financial Services, her most recent position before joining InvestCloud. Nakashian graduated from LIU Post with her MBA and from the University of Albany with an undergraduate degree in communication.

 

6. Lynda Harden
Chief Operations Officer, Radancy

Lynda Harden is Chief Operations Officer at Radancy, a global talent technology cloud-based talent acquisition software provider. She brings to this role extensive work experience in the talent technology and recruitment industry. The Radancy Talent Acquisition Cloud enables enterprises to hire more qualified talent while reducing costs and driving higher ROI. The company is headquartered in New York City with 19 global locations in 10 countries. Radancy employs 1200 people and serves more than 675 platform customers. Harden oversees Radancy’s media solutions, product support, engineering, and product development teams, as well as the company’s creative and development studios.

Prior to this role, Harden served as senior vice president of professional services at TMP Worldwide from 2012 to 2019, where she focused on improving delivery operations and enhancing customer and employee experience. Harden also held various roles at TMP Worldwide and Monster.com, specializing in interactive development and creative operations. She received a degree in business management with a focus on business, economics, and communications from Keene State College, and attended Bentley University in 1998, studying courses in Human Computer Interaction. Harden also obtained Project Management Professional certifications from the Project Management Institute.

 

8. Ben Kartzman
Chief Operating Officer, Mediaocean

Ben Kartzman is the Chief Operating Officer at Mediaocean. Mediaocean owns and operates Prisma, a system of record for media management and finance; Flashtalking, an independent ad server and creative personalization platform; and Protected Media, an MRC-accredited ad verification solution for brand safety and fraud detection. The company’s advertising infrastructure and ad tech tools are used by more than 100,000 people to power campaigns from planning, buying, ad serving, and creative personalization to analysis, optimization, invoices, and payments. Kartzman joined Mediocean in 2021 when his company, Flashtalking, was acquired. 

In 2012, Kartzman became an advisor at Qnary, served as an advisor at Popwallet, and as chief operating officer at Flashtalking (acquired by Mediaocean) from 2018 to 2021. Additionally, he worked as an advisor at Tidal Labs and Audience Group. Prior to these positions, he was the CEO of Spongecell from 2006 to 2018. Kartzman was also an advisor at ShoeFitr Inc. from 2013 to 2015. Before that, he held management and consultant roles at Accenture and Bridgeline Software, respectively. Kartzman pursued a dual bachelor’s in information systems and human-computer interaction at Carnegie Mellon University from 1996 to 2000.

 

9. Raj Beri
Chief Operating Officer, GoodRx

Raj Beri began his professional career 24 years ago. Today, he is the Chief Operating Officer of GoodRx, a platform that offers free access to transparent and lower prices for generic and brand medications, as well as comprehensive healthcare research and information. Since 2011, GoodRx has helped consumers save nearly $70 billion and is one of the most downloaded medical apps over the past decade. Berj was appointed as the company’s first Chief Operating Officer in 2022 and leads the continued growth and expansion of the brand. 

Beri started in 2000 as a manager and product design consultant at Solidworks, analysis division. From there, he went on to Monitor Group before eventually rising to vice president of grocery and retail at Uber, his most recent position before joining GoodRx. Before joining Uber, Beri was the chief operating officer for Adadyn, a San Francisco-based ad-tech company, and also served as chief operating officer and director of IgoUpo, a business acquired by Travelocity. 

Beri graduated from The Wharton School with his MBA and holds an undergraduate degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Toronto.

 

10. Benito Piuzzi
Chief Operating Officer, Residential Lending, Lakeview Loan Servicing

Benito Piuzzi is the Chief Operating Officer at Lakeview Loan Servicing’s origination group, where he oversees loan fulfillment across their consumer-direct and third-party originations channels. In his role, Benito oversees process optimization opportunities to improve business performance, customer experience, an employee satisfaction with the help of technology and data. Florida-based Lakeview Loan Servicing is managed by Bayview Asset Management LLC, an investment management firm focused on investments in credit with roughly $17.4 billion in assets under management as of December, 2023. Lakeview is the largest Ginnie Mae servicer in the U.S., and the largest non-depository mortgage loan servicer in the country. With both, servicing and mortgage origination capabilities, Lakeview helps more than 1.4 million customers per year manage their home loans and provide purchase, refinance, and home equity financing needs.

Piuzzi has over 15 years of experience optimizing operations across industries at scale. Prior to joining Lakeview Loan Servicing, he held roles at Better.com, McKinsey & Company, and various industrial companies, where he specialized in financial turnaround and building operation excellence through process and cost optimization, change management, analytics, and capability building. Outside of work he is a member of Forbe’s Business Council where he writes about operations and management. He also serves on the boards of Anselmo Academy of Music and the Arts and NewComm Project. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Arkansas, a Master’s degree in Management Engineering from the Politecnico di Milano, and an MBA from UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School.

 

11. Bob Enright
Chief Operating Officer, The Bonadio

Bob Enright is the Chief Operating Officer at The Bonadio Group. He first joined the company in 2006 as EVP before being named COO in 2012. Founded in 1978, The Bonadio Group creates client-focused solutions that address financial and business challenges. Enright oversees all non-client-facing operational areas, including HR, IT, Learning and Development, Marketing, and Finance. He is responsible for brand stewardship, marketing planning, website development, and more. 

Enright is a member of the Bonadio Group’s Management Committee and Board of Directors and is instrumental in formulating the firm’s growth strategy, including MandA. He also works closely with the firm’s subsidiaries and affiliate organizations. Earlier in his career, he worked as an executive director with the Rochester Rotary Club. Enright earned an undergraduate degree in accounting from St. John Fisher University.

 

12. Karna Chokshi
Chief Operating Officer and Head of Product, Apna

Karna Chokshi has been the Chief Operating Officer and Head of Product at Apna since 2021. Founded in 2019, Apna is a large Indian job platform with 50 million users and trusted by more than 545,000 employers. The company is currently operational in 74 cities and rapidly expanding. As Chief Operating Officer and Head of Product, Chokshi oversees all operations related to business activities and marketing. 

Chokshi has diverse work experience spanning various roles and industries. In 2008 and 2009, he had internships at Troyka Med and UBS, respectively. Chokshi then joined ITC Limited in 2010, serving as assistant manager- operations and later as project manager- technical project manager, automation until 2014. In 2015, Chokshi held roles at Farm Hill as an operations and business development intern, at Linko as a business development and data analytics professional, and ZypCall as a product manager and business development advisor. From 2016 to 2021, he worked at Uber in different capacities, including strategy and operations lead, merchant engagement and growth lead, and strategy and planning. 

Chokshi earned his MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Prior to that, he obtained a bachelor’s of technology in electrical and electronics engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.

 

13. Stacy Greiner
Chief Operating Officer, DailyPay

Stacy Greiner began her professional career 29 years ago. Today, she is the Chief Operating Officer of DailyPay, which uses the WorkTech platform to help America’s employers optimize employee relations. DailyPay’s large data network, proprietary funding model, and connections to over 6,000 endpoints in the banking system help the company work to ensure money is always in the right place for employers. She oversees People Operations internally and works to build upon the company’s strong culture. Externally, as Head of Operations, she oversees DailyPay’s service and customer experience efforts for partners, clients, and customers. 

Greiner started in 1995 as a senior consultant at Accenture. From there, she went on to WeddingChannel.com before eventually rising to general manager, sales and marketing solutions business unit at Dun and Bradstreet, her most recent position before joining DailyPay. Trained as an Aerospace Engineer at Iowa State University, Greiner also holds an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management. She sits on the board and serves as a member of the Audit Committee of Proto Labs, Inc.

 

14. David Parnes
Chief Operating Officer, CAMP

David Parnes is the Chief Operating Officer of CAMP, a family experience company with retail locations in New York City, Dallas, Connecticut, Chicago, DC, and Atlanta. CAMP stores host rotating themed experiences for a shop and play hybrid experience. Parnes first joined the company in 2019 as VP of operations. He now leads a team responsible for managing various aspects of the business, including supply chain, store operations, customer service, and product development.

Parnes started his career as a structured trade and export finance analyst at Deutsche Bank from June 2009 to May 2011. In January 2016, Parnes became the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer at OTHR, a 3D printing company aiming to make unique designs more accessible. In February 2019, Parnes joined BuzzFeed as the chief of staff, marketing, where he built a multi-brand e-commerce infrastructure and launched the Tasty Cookbook. David later became the head of operations and finance, commerce.

Parnes holds a bachelor's degree in management with a specialization in finance and entrepreneurship from Binghamton University School of Management. Parnes also obtained a bachelor’s in business management with a focus on corporate strategy from the University of Westminster. 

 

15. Colin Smith
Chief Operating Officer, SageSure

Colin Smith is the Chief Operating Officer of SageSure, a managing general underwriter in catastrophe-exposed property insurance. SageSure currently operates in 14 states and provides home, flood, and commercial coverage on behalf of its carrier partners. Smith oversees SageSure’s corporate operations, including human resources, analytics, strategic planning, facilities management, and program operations. He is responsible for identifying and executing company growth strategies, including raising over $800 million of capital for SageSure from institutional investors. He also developed an employee equity plan, resulting in broad-based team wealth creation and 99% annual retention of plan participants. 

Smith began his career in 2003 and has 21 years of experience. He has a background in investment banking and raising capital for rapidly growing private companies. Before joining SageSure, Smith was the chief executive officer and executive director at Change for Kids and a vice president at Atlantic-Pacific Capital. Earlier in his career, he worked as an analyst with Banc of America Securities. Smith graduated from the University of Virginia with a bachelor’s degree in finance.

 

16. Alexis Faust
Chief Operating Officer, Shobha

Alexis Faust is the Chief Operating Officer of Shobha, a provider of exclusive hair removal treatments and products. It has four locations in New York City and two locations in the Washington, DC, area, along with an online presence. Faust joined Shobha in 2007, beginning in marketing and operations followed by her role as product director, organizational development director, and strategy and development director before becoming COO. 

Faust started her career in 2001 as an account coordinator at BBDO Worldwide. She became an assistant account executive at Arnold Worldwide, formerly Arnold McGrath, before moving to an account manager position at Publicis after being selected by the Proctor & Gamble team to transition to their new Agency of Record. Her client experiences include FedEx, Proctor & Gamble, Bounty, and Vicks VapoRub. Her most recent position before joining Shobha was as a self-employed marketing consultant serving clients in various fields, including real estate, fashion, and entertainment. Faust graduated from Georgetown University McDonough School of Business with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and HR management.

 

17. Joseph Pascaretta
Chief Operating Officer, WorkWave

Joseph Pascaretta is the Chief Operating Officer of WorkWave, where he leads business operations, program management, customer service, and customer experience. WorkWave is a software company that provides field service businesses with tools to streamline their operations and grow revenue, including marketing, sales, service delivery, customer interaction, and financial transactions solutions. WorkWave works with customers across a wide variety of industries, including pest control, lawn care, cleaning, HVAC, plumbing and electrical, and last-mile delivery. 

Previously, Pascaretta was a president, private company solutions, at Equiniti and a digital and small business contributor at Forbes. Before that, he worked with Superior Scape Inc. as a president and founder of The Alps Lawn Company, acquired by Superior Scape Inc. Early in his career, Pascaretta built and launched the go-to-market strategy for one of the first tissue and implant tracking applications for U.S. hospitals and health systems. He was also a successful entrepreneur and founder of The Alps Lawn Company in Detroit, Michigan, a full-service, high-end landscape architecture and horticultural services business.

Pascaretta earned his MBA from The George Washington University School of Business and a bachelor’s degree in sociology, business, economy, and society from the University of Michigan.

 

18. Richard Giroux
Chief Operating Officer, MeiraGTx

Richard Giroux has served as Chief Operating Officer of MeiraGTx since 2015. MeiraGTx is a vertically integrated, clinical-stage gene therapy company with a broad pipeline of late-stage clinical programs supported by end-to-end manufacturing capabilities. While initially focusing on the eye, central nervous system, and salivary gland, MeiraGTx has developed the technology to apply genetic medicine to more common diseases, increasing efficacy, addressing novel targets, and expanding access.

Giroux joined MeiraGTx from Sarissa Capital Management LP, an activist healthcare hedge fund, where he was a partner from March 2014 to March 2015. Prior to Sarissa Capital Management LP, Giroux was a founding partner and healthcare portfolio manager of Meadowvale Partners, a multi-strategy hedge fund. Prior to Meadowvale Partners, he was a partner at Sivik Global Healthcare (formerly Argus Partners), a healthcare hedge fund, from August 2001 to November 2008. Prior to that, he worked at investment banks Salomon Smith Barney and Goldman Sachs. Giroux received a bachelor’s in economics from Yale University.

 

19. Shivani York
Global Chief Operating Officer, Ookla

Shivani York began her professional career 22 years ago. Today, she is the Global Chief Operating Officer of Ookla, a connectivity intelligence company that provides consumers, businesses, and other organizations with data-driven insights to improve networks and connected experiences. Ookla is a division of Ziff Davis, a digital media and internet company whose portfolio includes brands in technology, entertainment, shopping, health, cybersecurity, and martech. As the Global Chief Operating Officer at Ookla, York oversees a high-growth PandL overseeing product development, engineering, operations, and scaling the organization. York has played a key role in expanding Ookla's global presence, product portfolio, and customer base through multiple acquisitions, integrations, and organic growth initiatives. She also introduced and implemented OKRs across the company.

York is a seasoned executive with experience scaling up organizations for growth and driving business transformation. York first got her start in 2002 as a senior technical project manager at The New York Times. From there, she went on to TIME before eventually rising to founder and strategic advisor at BrandPartner Group, her most recent position prior to joining Ookla. York graduated from Pace University - Lubin School of Business with her MBA and from Stony Brook University with a bachelor’s in psychology.

 

20. Julia Bernstein
Chief Operations Officer, Brightside

Julia Bernstein is Brightside's Chief Operations Officer, a company that delivers life mental health care to people with mild to severe clinical depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders. Powered by proprietary AI,  Brightside Health combines psychiatry and therapeutic techniques to offer timely care and improve patient outcomes across the entire clinical spectrum. Bernstein plays an integral role in maintaining the company’s operational procedures as it expands its member base and enters new markets. She also serves as a strategic partner to the executive team, charged with refining and implementing a scalable operational infrastructure for the business that encompasses people, processes, and technology.

Bernstein previously headed operations and strategy at Thirty Madison and was the COO at Tempest, Inc. Earlier in her career, she worked as a strategy and business analyst with McKinsey and Company. She earned an MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business and an undergraduate degree in history from Dartmouth College.

 

21. Tom Perrone
Chief Operating Officer, GoNetspeed

Tom Perrone is the Chief Operating Officer of GoNetspeed. GoNetspeed, a high-speed fiber internet provider serving residential and business customers in Maine, Alabama, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and West Virginia, formed a partnership with Oak Hill Capital in January 2021. This partnership allows GoNetspeed to accelerate the expansion of its fiber network throughout the Northeastern U.S. 

Perrone began his work experience in 1997 with Intermedia Communications as a circuit design specialist. Perrone then moved on to work as a network engineering professional at Intermedia, followed by an engineering role at Telergy Networks. In 2002, he worked at Nextel Partners in an engineering/NOC capacity and then moved to Frontier Communications as an engineer. From 2005 to 2007, he worked at Current Communications in an engineering position. Perrone then joined Fibertech Networks as the vice president of engineering, a position he held until 2015. In that same year, he worked briefly as the vice president of operations at Lightower Fiber Networks before assuming the role of vice president of engineering at Greenlight Networks in 2015. 

Perrone attended the Rochester Institute of Technology, where he obtained a bachelor’s in telecommunications engineering technology.

 

22. Eric Venker
President and Chief Operating Officer, Roivant Sciences

Eric Venker serves as President and Chief Operating Officer of Roivant Sciences. Venker first joined Roivant in 2014 and has since served in various roles of increasing responsibility, including Chief of Staff to the CEO. Roivant Sciences Ltd. is a healthcare company focused on applying technology to drug development and building subsidiary biotech and healthcare technology companies. 

Prior to joining Roivant, Venker was a physician at New York Presbyterian Hospital, Columbia University Medical Center, where he trained in internal medicine. While there, Venker served as the Chair of the Housestaff Quality Council and led operational initiatives to improve efficiencies across a large hospital system with $5 billion in annual revenue. Earlier in his career, Venker was a Clinical Pharmacist at Yale-New Haven Hospital.  Venker received his Pharm.D. from St. Louis College of Pharmacy and his M.D. from Yale School of Medicine.

 

23. Maggie Barnett
Chief Operating Officer, ShipHero

Maggie Barnett is the Chief Operating Officer of ShipHero, a U.S. cloud-based warehouse operating system provider that gives online retailers and third-party logistics providers the tools to ship more efficiently anywhere in the world. With more than 6,500 customers around the globe, ShipHero offers online retailers services ranging from warehouse management software to outsourced fulfillment. Additionally, ShipHero is the official fulfillment network partner for Shopify and now has nine owned and operated warehouses across North America.

As Chief Operating Officer, Barnett is responsible for planning and executing the overall operational, legal, managerial and administrative procedures, reporting structures, and operational controls. Barnett founded City CoPilot, where she grew a "concierge concept" into three NYC retail locations serving over 3,000 Airbnb properties. Previously, she was Interim chief operative officer at Greensbury Market, where she established a core operational team, introduced a sustainable seafood line, and created key partnerships that tripled sales. 

Her diverse professional experience includes working for the Dayglo Ventures, City Parks Foundation, Baker Sports Management, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, and MTV News and Documentaries. Barnett specializes in creating and implementing scalable operations processes and performance management systems. Also, she is an adjunct professor at New York University. Barnett earned a bachelor’s degree in sports management from New York University.

 

24. Elizabeth Meyer
Chief Operating Officer, Pearl Insurance

Elizabeth Meyer is the Chief Operating Officer of Pearl Insurance, a division of One80 Intermediaries. Pearl is a privately held insurance company that focuses on business insurance, personal insurance, associations, and unions. Pearl Insurance has become the platform upon which One80 is building its business and growth in the affinity and program management market. As COO, Meyer oversees daily functions to ensure organizational effectiveness and continually improve client service capabilities. She has an extensive background in human resource management, which she further developed after joining Pearl Insurance in 2003. 

Meyer has 27 years of experience and began her career in 1997. Before joining Pearl Insurance, Meyer was an assistant vice president, human resources at Pearl Carroll and Associates LLC and before that a director, human resources at JLT Services Corporation. Earlier in her career she worked with Environment One Corporation as a human resources manager. Meyer graduated from Union College with a bachelor’s degree.

 

25. Roman Stephens
Chief Operating Officer, Beam Living

Roman Stephens has diverse and extensive work experience in the real estate industry. Serving as Chief Operating Officer of Beam Living since June 2023. Beam Living is a multi-family real estate management company that supports communities throughout New York City. A Blackstone-owned portfolio company, Beam Living owns and operates many properties in New York City.

Prior to joining Beam Living, Stephens worked as the senior vice president of operations at Northland Investment Corporation, where he oversaw the operations and development of a large multifamily operating platform. Before joining Northland Investment Corporation, Stephens held several leadership positions at Camden Property Trust. Prior to that, Stephens served as an asset manager for Hines Global REIT, Hines REIT, and Core Fund, and before that, he was a vice president at Southern Land Company. Stephens also held positions as a land development project manager and financial analyst of emerging markets at Hines.

Stephens earned his MBA from The University of Texas at Austin, and his bachelor’s in economics from Howard University.