| Jeff Blau | |
| Birth Date: | 1968 |
| Birth Place: | Woodbury, Long Island, New York, US |
| Education: | University of Michigan M.B.A. University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School |
| Occupation: | CEO of Related Companies |
| Children: | 3 |
Jeff Blau is an American businessman and serves as chief executive officer of Related Companies.
Blau was born and raised in Woodbury, Long Island.
Blau attended and graduated from the University of Michigan. While in school, Blau teamed up with a local contractor to buy single-family homes in Ann Arbor and subdivide them into student apartments.[1] [2]
Blau signed up for a graduate-level real estate development class during his junior year of undergrad. His professor introduced Blau to Stephen M. Ross when Ross delivered a keynote address at the university that year.[1] [2]
In 1990, Blau graduated from school, and Ross offered him a job at Related Companies. From 1990 to 1992, Blau commuted from New York to Philadelphia, taking classes at the Wharton School of Business while working at Related Companies.[3]
In 1994, Blau served as project manager of the joint-purchase, along with Apollo Real Estate, of the Tribeca Tower, converting it to an 80/20 building.
Blau was appointed as President of Related Companies in 2000. By then, he had been involved in 25 deals exceeding $2 billion, with another almost $3 billion worth of property under construction.[2] [3]
In 2001, he was included in Crain 40 Under 40 Class of 2001.[2]
Blau closed a deal to develop the Coliseum site at Columbus Circle by convincing Time Warner CEO Richard Parsons to sign on as an anchor tenant.
Since 2012, Blau has been CEO of Related Companies,[4] [5] and he is also partner to the company.[6] [7] Blau has overseen projects worth over $60 billion since joining the Related Companies and has led the developments of Union Square and the Time Warner Center. He is most known for spearheading the development and opening of Hudson Yards.[5] [1] [7] [8]
Blau founded the holding company Bikeshare Holdings LLC, which operates the Citi Bike sharing system in New York, in 2014.[9]
In 2020, he was named as part of Crain's New Influential List of 25 Leaders Reshaping New York.[7]
Blau is on the Board of Directors of Equinox Holdings, Inc., the Central Park Conservancy, the Partnership for New York City, and The Real Estate Roundtable. He serves on the Board of Trustees of the Mount Sinai Medical Center and the Urban Land Institute.[6] He is also chairman and founding partner of energyRe, which develops transformative clean energy projects.[10]
In 2023, Blau signed a statement from the Anti-Defamation League titled "Urge the University of Pennsylvania to Investigate Anti-Israel & Anti-Zionist Student Groups". The letter accuses Students for Justice in Palestine of "glorifying Hamas' atrocities" and declares Zionism to be "a fundamental component of Jewish identity".[11]