Related Companies Names Philippe Visser SVP of Development

New York—Related Companies today announced that Philippe Visser will join Related and the Hudson Yards development team as senior vice president of development. In this role, Visser will be a part of the executive team on the historic nearly 28- acre project and be primarily responsible for leading the development of the 80 story, 2.5 million square foot North Tower as well as other Hudson Yards commercial projects.

Visser previously served as director, World Trade Center Redevelopment leading the $15 billion, 14 million square-foot World Trade Center redevelopment since joining the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey on 2009.  At the PANYNJ he was responsible for the development, leasing and operations of the three million square foot One World Trade Center, one of the country’s largest office buildings. In 2011, Visser spearheaded negotiations with Condé Nast for a 1.2 million square foot lease at One World Trade Center and the completion of a 270,000 square foot lease with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) as well as the recent deal with Legends Hospitality for an observation deck valued at $875 million over 15 years. Visser was also overseeing the development and leasing of the 450,000 square feet of retail space at the World Trade Center, concluding a $1.23 billion joint venture with the Westfield Group to co-develop the retail with the Port Authority throughout the 16-acre site, along with a site-wide special events and advertising program.

Prior to the World Trade Center, Visser was responsible for the acquisition and development of New York City projects for Tishman Speyer, worked in acquisitions at Vornado Realty Trust and ran the day-to-day development of commercial office and mixed-use projects for Forest City Ratner. Visser graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a Phi Beta Kappa member and Truman Scholar.  e has an MBA from the Columbia Business School and a Master’s of Science in Regional and Urban Planning (with Distinction) from the London School of Economics, which he attended as a Thouron Fellow. Visser currently serves on the boards of the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Downtown-Lower Manhattan Association, and the Alliance for Downtown New York, and is an active member of the Urban Land Institute.