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Roberta Sydney

Independent Board Director & Advisor

Kiavi | Tiedemann Advisors

Boston, MA, USA

Roberta Sydney
Robert Suss
Pictet Wealth Management
Hiro Tamura
Wathos

Roberta’s Biography

Roberta Sydney is a highly respected executive and thought leader with three decades of experience in financial services and real estate development. Roberta offers her expertise as an Independent Director and Advisor for companies in a range of industries, notably real estate technology, wealth management and manufacturing.

As a senior executive and board member, Roberta has helped numerous companies achieve significant growth, including large, traditional organizations, emerging companies and venture capital-backed startups. At wealth advisory firm Tiedemann Advisors, she draws on her experience in facilitating and guiding high-growth opportunities for financial services companies. She is also a Director and Chair of the Nominating/Governance Committee at Kiavi, a leading fintech solutions company for Real Estate investors.

Roberta's additional advisor and board roles include serving as Chair of the Boston chapter of Tiger 21 and as an Advisor for pioneering real estate technology companies Cobu, RentalBeast and Embue. She is also a Trustee and member of the Advisory Board and...
Roberta Sydney is a highly respected executive and thought leader with three decades of experience in financial services and real estate development. Roberta offers her expertise as an Independent Director and Advisor for companies in a range of industries, notably real estate technology, wealth management and manufacturing.

As a senior executive and board member, Roberta has helped numerous companies achieve significant growth, including large, traditional organizations, emerging companies and venture capital-backed startups. At wealth advisory firm Tiedemann Advisors, she draws on her experience in facilitating and guiding high-growth opportunities for financial services companies. She is also a Director and Chair of the Nominating/Governance Committee at Kiavi, a leading fintech solutions company for Real Estate investors.

Roberta's additional advisor and board roles include serving as Chair of the Boston chapter of Tiger 21 and as an Advisor for pioneering real estate technology companies Cobu, RentalBeast and Embue. She is also a Trustee and member of the Advisory Board and Neuroscience Advisory Committee for Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and previously served as a Director at real estate company, Plaxall, Inc.

In 1999, Roberta founded Sydney Associates, Inc. as a multigenerational family business focusing on real estate development, asset management and property management. As CEO, she employed an entrepreneurial approach in the acquisition and development of residential and commercial properties and successfully managed nine million square feet of property. After stepping down as CEO in 2016, she served as Chairperson until 2019.

Roberta is a sought-after speaker on governance and real estate topics. She has spoken at leading universities, such as Harvard Business School and Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business, and at events held by renowned organizations, including The MIT Center for Real Estate and Women Corporate Directors.
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Roberta’s Newsfeed

NACD
It’s No Fable: ESOPs Offer Elevated Employee Engagement

Roberta Sydney discusses the many benefits of employee stock ownership programs (ESOP), including employee retention, leadership preparation and more.

Harvard Business School
Women on Boards | Building a Network with Purpose

Roberta Sydney shares her thoughts on the HBS Executive Education Women on Boards (WOB) program, outlining how it helped her develop her skills, explore best practices, and broaden her community of board contacts.

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Roberta’s Background

Sydney Associates, Inc.
Chairperson
2016 - 2019
Boston, MA, USA
Sydney Associates, Inc. is a midsize real estate developer, asset and property manager, and multigenerational family business founded by Roberta in 1999. She served as Chairperson before a successful exit and earn out in 2019.
Sydney Associates, Inc.
Founder & CEO
1999 - 2015
Boston, MA, USA
As CEO of Sydney Associates, Inc., Roberta led regulatory compliance, investor relations, as well as tenant servicing for operations, brokerage and leasing. Under her leadership, she ensured shareholder returns of more than 15%. She was crucial in maintaining strong relationships with major tenants, including Bank of America, Trader Joe’s and CVS.
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Roberta’s Gallery

Board Positions

Tiedemann Advisors
Board of Directors
Nov 2019 - Present
New York, NY, USA
Founded in 1999, Tiedemann Advisors is one of the largest independent investment and wealth advisors for high-net-worth individuals, trusts, families, foundations and endowments.
Kiavi
Board of Directors
Jul 2021 - Present
San Francisco, CA, USA
Kiavi offers reliable and simplified hard money loans and rental loans for real estate investors of all experience levels to grow their portfolios. It's technology empowers real estate investors to unlock value in every aged home.
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Advisory Roles

Cobu
Chair | Advisory Board
Boston, MA, USA
Cobu is a real estate technology and services company that makes it easy for residents to connect with neighbors turning apartments into homes.
RentalBeast, Inc.
Advisor
Somerville, MA, USA
Rental Beast is a real estate technology company that helps streamline the real estate market with its SaaS platform to enable agents, brokers, landlords and tenants to work more effectively.
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Previous Board Positions

Plaxall, Inc.
Board of Directors
2017 - 2021
New York, NY, USA
Plaxall is a family-run company that specializes in commercial real estate and plastic thermoforming manufacturing. Roberta also served as Chair of the Compensation Committee.

Media

The Pre IPO Board
Webinar
Feb 2023
Roberta Sydney offers her expertise on how a company, as well as its Board of Directors, should prepare for an IPO once it has made the decision to go public.

Interviews

Great board governance is invaluable – it opens the door for what is possible for a business
Feb 2022
Roberta Sydney joins the On Boards podcast to discuss the significant importance of board governance and the myriad ways it can improve a company or organization.
The Courage to Advance
Sep 2021
Roberta Sydney, a nationally recognized leader in board service, is featured in a new book titled “The Courage to Advance: Real Life Resilience from the World’s Most Successful Women in Business.” She shares her story in this podcast interview.
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Features

Meet Venita Fields and Roberta Sydney
Dec 2022
Roberta Sydney was highlighted for her tireless board work and her extensive executive experience. In addition, Roberta is lauded for her work as a mentor, helping women on their career paths as business leaders and entrepreneurs.

Accreditation

National Association of Corporate Directors
NACD Directorship Certification
2022
Arlington, VA, USA
NACD Directorship Certification is a designation that keeps pace with the ongoing changes in corporate governance, positioning directors to meet the biggest boardroom challenges.
American College of Corporate Directors
Silver Executive Master's Certificate
Needham, MA, USA
Roberta is accredited as Silver Level Executive by the American College of Corporate Directors. To reach this level of certification, Roberta contributed to the organization by sharing her valuable expertise, knowledge and experience gained throughout her career as an executive and board member.
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Publications

How to Prepare and Interview for a Private Company Board Seat
Author
Nov 2022
Roberta Sydney shares her insight on how to most effectively prepare for an interview with a private board.
Four Considerations for Private Company CEO Succession
Author
Jun 2022
Roberta Sydney discusses some key points for a company to consider during this significant transition.
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Memberships

WomenExecs on Boards
Education Subcommittee
Edmond, OK, USA
WomenExecs on Boards (WEoB) is a global network of women who completed board governance programs at Harvard Business School and who are committed to work together to attain board positions and to advance the state of women on boards and in senior leadership positions.
Women Corporate Directors (WCD)
Member
2019 - Present
Stuart, FL, USA
Women Corporate Directors (WCD) is the largest community of female corporate board directors in the world. The organization has over 8500 members that serve on both private and public boards across the globe.
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Awards & Recognition

2020 Directors to Watch logo 2020 Directors to Watch logo
2020 Directors to Watch
Dec 2020
Roberta was listed as one of Private Company Director Magazine's 2020 Directors to watch for her work with private companies.

Training & Management Courses

Advisory Board Architects
Board Leadership Accelerator Program
2022
Advisory Board Architects (ABA) is the first and only global organization focused on transforming boards to High Impact Boards that are focused on driving growth for shareholders.
Harvard Business School Executive Education
Board of Director Program
2019
Cambridge, MA, USA
This program examines best practices for corporate boards and explores options and opportunities in corporate board service. Attendees gain a greater understanding of the role and responsibilities of corporate directors and the challenges they can expect to face in that role.

Speaking Engagements

Family Firm Institute 2022 Conference
Panel member
Nov 2022
Roberta Sydney took part in a panel that, among other topics, discussed board composition and corporate governance.
WomenExecs on Boards Symposium
Moderator
Oct 2021
Roberta Sydney hosted a session with Ambassador Abercrombie-Winstanley to start the 2021 WomenExecs on Boards Symposium. In her keynote address, Ambassador Abercrombie-Winstanley shared her experiences and discussed the importance of diversity and inclusion at all levels of the federal workforce.
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Community Engagement

StartUp Partners
Co-Founder
Aug 2017 - Present
Boston, MA, USA
Roberta is the Co-Founder of the StartUp Partners program, an initiative that aims to help start-ups grow and succeed. Advisors are generally executives in the Boston area that are kept up to date with new trends and developments in technology which they pass on to provide valuable feedback to start-ups.
Marathon Daffodils
Co-Founder
Boston, MA, USA
Marathon Daffodils is an initiative that aims to bring the spirit of spring to The Boston Marathon with many volunteers contributing to plant over 100,000 daffodils.

Press Releases

LendingHome Hires New CFO and CMO to Help Drive Continued Growth
Jul 2021
New York, NY, USA
The press release also stated that Roberta Sydney was appointed to LendingHome's Board of Directors. Roberta was lauded and chosen for her 30+ years in the real estate industry.
LendingHome Hires New CFO and CMO to Help Drive Continued Growth
Jul 2021
New York, NY, USA
Roberta Sydney was recently appointed to the Board of Directors of LendingHome. Sydney was lauded for her success as a real estate entrepreneur, CEO and senior corporate executive. "I'm looking forward to advising LendingHome,” she said. "I believe in the products and people at LendingHome and I'm excited to work with the team.”

Roberta’s Education

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
MS | Real Estate Development
1987 - 1988
Harvard Business School
MBA | Business Administration & Management
1981 - 1983
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