Sydney is a seasoned board director and former CEO serving as Lead Independent Director on the board of Kiavi, the leading lender for real estate investors. Previously, she chaired Kiavi’s Nominating/Governance Committee and served on the Compensation Committee. She also serves on the board of Tiedemann Advisors, a global wealth advisory firm that recently announced its plans to go public via SPAC. In addition, she serves as Board Chair of HEI Civil. Her previous board service includes chairing the Compensation Committee and serving on the Nominating and Governance Committee for Plaxall, Inc., the Long Island City based manufacturing and real estate company that secured Amazon for their HQ2 before Amazon withdrew. She also brings digital and industry expertise to VC-backed real estate technology startups including Locatee, based in Switzerland. These startups create SaaS and device solutions to lower expenses, drive energy efficiency, improve tenant retention using predictive data analytics leveraging machine learning and IoT devices.

Sydney’s prior corporate experience includes senior roles with financial services and money management institutions, such as State Street Global Advisors, BayBank, and the Boston Company, before founding, growing, developing, and managing 9 million square feet and successfully exiting her commercial real estate development company, Sydney Associates, Inc. During her tenure, she cemented deep relationships with prestigious clients/tenants such as Bank of America, Trader Joe’s, AT&T, and CVS. Her experiences include positions in construction management, real estate development, strategy, marketing, sales, and finance.

In addition to her many accomplishments, Sydney is actively engaged in philanthropy serving on the Neuroscience Advisory Committee and the Trustee Advisory Board of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a Harvard teaching hospital. She has also mentored dozens of entrepreneurs through StartUp Partners, a local coaching initiative she co-founded through Harvard Business School Alumni. In the past, she also served on the board and as Treasurer for C200 (Audit Committee Chair).

Sydney received a BS in French from Wellesley College, a Master’s in Business Administration from Harvard Business School, a Master’s in Real Estate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and is an NACD Board Leadership Fellow. She completed the Women on Boards program at Harvard Business School in 2019 and named a Private Company Director to Watch in 2020.