Marc Kotler ofthe New Development Group Elevated to President; Christina Forbes Promoted to President of Manhattan Condo/Co-Op Division
FirstService Residential, New York’s leading residential property management company, has promoted two executives in its Manhattan office: Marc Kotler to President of the New Development Group and Christina Forbes to President of the Manhattan Condo/Co-Op Division. The leadership promotions reflect the company’s significant expansion of business including the addition of more than 3,300 units to its management portfolio since January 2022.
Kotler joined FirstService Residential in 2004 as a senior property manager and was promoted to vice president after one year, forming the New Development Group in 2005. He has successfully built the group into the industry’s leading consultant and manager for multifamily developers and institutional investors, with a portfolio of services that includes ground-up pre-development consulting, commercial-to-residential conversions, feasibility studies, initial building opening, and sponsor-to-residential board control in condominium properties. As division president, Kotler will continue to lead his team of consultants and managers as the business diversifies.
“Marc has earned the trust of the city’s most prominent developers and building owners, and is responsible for the significant growth and success of his division,” said FirstService Residential New York President Dan Wurtzel. “Over the last decade, he and his team have made an imprint on the New York City skyline by advising on the development of more than 150 luxury condominiums, multifamily rental buildings, and high-endmixed-use properties. To date, more than 95% oftheseclients retain FirstService Residential as their management partner, when construction is completed.”
Kotler was most recently senior vice president of the New Development Group, which now comprises more than 50 associates.Under his leadership, the division has consulted on and managedsome of the most iconic supertall projects including, 53West 53, 432 Park, New York by Gehry, Madison House, and most recently, 200 Amsterdam.In 2022, the division consulted on new developments that will yield more than 2,500 apartments, representing over $2 billion of private investment.
“I’ve seen the industry evolve and change throughout the years and it’s our job to transform with it,”said Kotler. “I am incredibly proud to be part of the FirstService team, as we are the only residential management company with a division dedicated exclusively to providing consulting services to developers, building owners, and board members of new and young properties.Our operational expertise focuses on strategies that identify efficiencies, maximizeproperty value and marketability, and help create a luxury lifestyle experience that remains desirable to residents, even when new assets enter the market.”
As president of the Manhattan Condo/Co-Op Division, Christina Forbes will oversee a division comprisingmore than 300 condominiums, cooperatives, and condops, and a team of more than 100 property management professionals. With more than 25 years of experience managing multifamily buildings, Forbes is recognized as an industry expert, especially for boards looking to reduce operating costs, improve resident lifestyle, and replace antiquated systems with automated, web-based processes.
“Beyond Christina’s proven expertise, this promotion recognizes her continued professionalism, leadership, and work ethic, especially during a time when our clients require the most support,” said Wurtzel. “Our condo and co-op boards are incredibly pleased with her work and have praised her remarkable attention to detail, which has realized significant reductions in annual operating costs and compliance violations across the division.”
Forbes joined the company in 2009 as an onsite property manager. She earned a promotion to managing director in 2012, followed by vice president in 2014, before rising to senior vice president in 2017.
“I am incredibly grateful for my 13-yeartenure at FirstService Residential, andI am especially thankful to be working with a remarkable team of professionals,” said Forbes. “Most of all, I look forward to the new challenges and opportunities thisexpanded role will bring, working alongside some of the most dedicated leaders in the industry.”
In the past year, FirstService Residential has witnessed extraordinary growth across various asset types. The company’s expanding portfolio of new clients includes 200 Amsterdam, the tallest residential tower on Manhattan’s Upper West Side; 100 Eleventh Avenue, designed by Pritzker Prize laureate and renowned architect Jean Nouvel; Madison House, an 805-foot-tall skyscraper in NoMad;One Boerum Place, home to the most expensive rental apartment in Brooklyn history;and Parkway Village, a 675-unitgarden-style community in Briarwood, Queens.
