David Helfand

David Helfand is President and Chief Executive Officer of Equity Commonwealth (NYSE: EQC), a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns and operates commercial office properties throughout the United States.Mr. Helfand serves as an Advisor to Equity Group Investments, a private investment firm, where he previously served as Co-President. Prior to Equity Group Investments, Mr. Helfand was Founder and President of Helix Funds LLC, a private real estate investment management company, where he oversaw the acquisition, management and disposition of more than $2.2 billion of real estate assets. While at Helix Funds, he also served as Chief Executive Officer for American Residential Communities LLC, a Helix Funds portfolio company. Before founding Helix Funds, Mr. Helfand served as Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer for Equity Office Properties Trust, the largest REIT in the United States at the time, where he led approximately $12 billion of mergers and acquisitions activity. Prior to joining EOP, Mr. Helfand served as a Managing Director and participated in the formation of Equity International, a private investment firm focused on real estate platforms in emerging markets. He also held the role of President and Chief Executive Officer of Equity LifeStyle Properties, a publicly traded REIT that operates manufactured home communities. His earlier career included investment activity in a variety of asset classes, including retail, office, parking and multifamily. He serves as a Director of the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, as a Commissioner for the Chicago Park District, on the NAREIT Advisory Board of Governors, on the Executive Committee of the Samuel Zell and Robert Lurie Real Estate Center at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, on the Executive Committee of the Kellogg Real Estate Center at Northwestern University, and on the Board of Visitors at the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern University. Mr. Helfand also serves on the board of The Ounce of Prevention Fund, a national leader in early childhood education policy and advocacy. Mr. Helfand holds an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and a B.A. from Northwestern University.