Davis appoints Cohen as chief operating officer

Boston, MA According to The Davis Companies (Davis), Leslie Cohen has been named as its chief operating officer. Cohen is a long-time leader in greater Boston’s real estate community and brings broad experience to Davis in all aspects of development, operations, asset management and investments.

In her new role, Cohen will collaborate with her peers on Davis’s senior management team in setting the firm’s overall business strategy. Her primary role will be focusing on day-to-day company operations, including implementation of governance structures and process management strategies geared towards optimized corporate efficiency and execution, as well as company culture and workplace engagement.

Cohen will oversee multiple operating functions, including property management, legal and human resources and public relations and marketing.

“Leslie is a proven leader with relentless tenacity, commitment to excellence, fierce intelligence and sincere empathy. Her addition to our senior management team is a critical step in our ongoing succession planning . We have no doubt that she will contribute immensely to the continued success – and to the future growth – of our firm,” said co-president Stephen Davis.

Cohen most recently served as the COO and head of asset management for Samuels & Associates, where she was responsible for executing the strategic vision of the firm across numerous large-scale developments in Boston and the surrounding communities. Among Cohen’s key priorities in that role were staff engagement, organizational health and efficiency and leading efforts in improving diversity, equity and inclusion throughout the firm.

“I am both excited and energized by the prospect of working collaboratively with the outstanding senior leadership team at Davis. This team is among the best in the business, with a strong vision behind its investment strategy, a commitment to quality and community and a focus on fostering an outstanding place to work,” said Cohen. “I am delighted to have the opportunity to partner with Stephen, Jon and the entire team for great things to come.”

An active leader in the region’s real estate community, Cohen served as the president of CREW Boston (formerly NEWiRE); she is currently on the NAIOP MA Board Management Committee and was 2020 president of NAIOP MA. She has co-chaired the Heading Home Housewarming event, has co-led the Wonder Women fundraising team for several years and is now a member of their Board. Cohen also served on the Building and Grounds Committee at Tufts University.

The combination of professional success and civic engagement has resulted in numerous honors, including recognition as a Bisnow’s Power Women in Commercial Real Estate, a Woman who Means Business by Boston Business Journal and multiple awards from CREW Boston.

A resident of Brookline, Cohen has a BCSE in Engineering from Tufts University and an MBA from Babson College.