Owen Thomas

Owen Thomas served as CEO of Boston Properties, one of the largest US office REITs, during a transformative period that included the COVID-19 pandemic's dramatic impact on office demand. He managed the firm through the transition from pre-pandemic norms to the hybrid work era, focusing on premium locations and amenity-rich office environments that retain tenant demand. Thomas has been a prominent voice in the debate about the future of commercial office real estate and the divergence between trophy buildings and commodity space. He led Boston Properties through capital markets transactions and portfolio repositioning. His strategy of concentrating Boston Properties' portfolio in premier central business district locations — including Hudson Yards in New York and the Back Bay in Boston — reflected a conviction that the highest-quality office buildings would retain demand even as overall office utilization declined.