Veris Residential unveils financial leadership transition

With the news that Chief Accounting Officer Giovanni DeBari will leave the company, Veris Residential on Jan. 12 announced a transition plan for its financial leadership team.

Amanda Lombard will succeed DeBari, effective Jan. 18. The two will coordinate to facilitate the transition.

Lombard will then transition to the role of chief financial officer, following David Smetana’s decision to leave the company in pursuit of other opportunities at the completion of his contract. Again, the outgoing executive and Lombard will work together to ease the changeover, which is expected by the end of 2022.

“Amanda is a proven leader whose broad experience and publicly traded REIT expertise will serve us well as we continue to streamline and enhance our operations,” Chief Executive Officer Mahbod Nia said in a statement. “We are thrilled to welcome her to Veris Residential and are confident that her skills will complement those of our existing team and help to drive continued value creation for our stakeholders.”

Nia expressed gratitude for both DeBari and Smetana’s contributions to the company, the former for the past 25 years.

“We are grateful to Giovanni for his commitment to the company over the past 25 years and wish him well in his future endeavors.”

Lombard most recently served as CFO for Seritage Growth Properties. Before that, she was chief accounting officer for the company. She previously held the chief accounting position at Gramercy Property Trust.

In December, Mack-Cali Real Estate Corp. announced it rebranded as Veris Residential, a multifamily-focused, environmentally and socially conscious REIT.