Owen D. Thomas, chief executive officer of Boston Properties (NYSE: BXP), the largest publicly traded developer and owner of Class A office properties in the U.S., has been elected as ULI’s new global chairman. Thomas, a longtime ULI member, ULI governing trustee and ULI Foundation governor, will serve a two-year term that ends June 30, 2021.

As ULI’s global chairman, Thomas will guide the Institute’s delivery of member value and mission-oriented work, with an overarching goal of positioning ULI as the leading global real estate organization that attracts and retains top industry leaders; the leading authority on real estate and the “go-to” place for industry information and expertise; and the provider of solutions to the most complex real estate and urban development problems faced by cities around the world.

Thomas views the global chairmanship as an opportunity to support and facilitate members’ efforts to advance ULI’s mission in each of the three regions in which the Institute has a presence—the Americas, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region. “ULI is the leading organization for curating and disseminating industry knowledge and best practices in community building. No other organization comes close to ULI, in terms of sharing expertise and celebrating success stories that can benefit land use decision-making in communities around the globe,” Thomas said. “The potential of our organization to make a meaningful, lasting difference through the work of our members is inspiring.”

Thomas succeeds Thomas W. Toomey, whose term as global chairman ended June 30. “We are very fortunate to have Owen taking the helm. He is dedicated, decisive, and he believes in ULI as a member-driven, mission-focused organization,” Toomey said. “He will keep ULI’s momentum going strong.”

During Thomas’s term as global chairman, he will work with Toomey, ULI Global CEO W. Edward Walter, ULI’s global board of directors, and other Institute leaders to further expand ULI’s reach at the global, regional, and local levels. Thomas’s priorities include the following:

• Fulfilling the goals of ULI’s Global Strategic Plan, a multi-year strategy to strengthen ULI and broaden its appeal through robust member engagement and impact;
• Further integrating and expanding ULI’s global footprint through increasing connectivity and idea sharing across the Americas, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region; and
• Fostering and emphasizing ULI’s philanthropic initiatives to expand the Institute’s mission of creating better communities, including education initiatives to broaden diversity within the industry and programs to create more sustainable performance in the built environment.