William C. Rudin

Background

William C. Rudin is a New York real estate executive and civic leader. He was 2026, he was a co-chairman of the Rudin Management Company and was formerly its CEO and vice chairman. ¹ He was born in 1954 in New York City. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a focus on finance, real estate, and management. After college he joined the family-owned Rudin Management Company, ² one of the largest privately owned real estate companies in New York City. The company was founded in 1925 by Rudin’s grandfather Samuel and his brothers. ³

According to Forbes, the Rudin family has an estimated net worth of over $5 billion as of February 2026. ⁴

Career

Rudin joined the Rudin Management Company in 1979 after graduating from New York University. Since then, he has been involved in every real estate addition the company made and converted their properties into technology smart buildings. In 1993, Rudin Management Company founder Samuel Rudin’s sons, Lewis and Jack, became the company’s co-chairmen and Bill Rudin was named president. The company owns and manages 16 office buildings and 17 luxury apartment buildings in New York City. ^{3  5}

In 2017, Rudin was named the chairman of the Real Estate Board of New York for a three-year term from 2018 through 2020 after 30 years as a member. ⁶

Rudin is the former chairman of the Real Estate Roundtable and continued to work as the co-executive chairman as of 2026. The Real Estate Roundtable is an invitation-only membership organization made up of leaders in the real estate industry that works with the federal government to address policy issues that impact real estate and the economy. ⁷

He lectures at educational institutions and real estate industry events and has appeared on television shows to discuss New York City real estate and other issues that impact the city. ⁵ He was appointed by former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) to several commissions and advisory councils focusing on issues related to New York City. ⁸

In 2024, Rudin’s children Samantha and Michael became co-CEOs and Neil Gupta was named president of Rudin Management Company. Rudin and his brother Eric continued to sit as co-chairmen of the board, positions they still held as of 2026. ³

Philanthropy and Civic Engagement

Rudin was named a “Leader” in the inaugural TIME 100 Philanthropy 2025 for his and his family’s donations in support of New York City initiatives. Others in the “Leaders” list included Darren Walker, the former president of the Ford Foundation; Mark Suzman, CEO of the Gates Foundation; Alexander Soros, son of left-of-center billionaire philanthropist George Soros and then-head of the Open Society Foundations; and Celina de Sola, founder of Glasswing International. ^{9  10}

In the 1970s, Rudin’s father Lewis founded the Association for a Better New York, a coalition of business, labor, and political leaders in New York City focused on continuing to improve the city. As of 2026, William Rudin continued to sit on the board. ⁵

As of 2026, the Rudin Family Foundations were led by Rudin’s sister Beth Rudin DeWoody. They are comprised of the May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, the Louis and Rachel Rudin Foundation, the Rudin Foundation, and the corporate giving of the Rudin Management Company. ³

As of 2026, Rudin was a director and vice president of the Louis and Rachel Rudin Foundation which gave over $1.8 million in 2024 to health and education initiatives in the New York City area, including Cornell University, New York University, American Friends of Rabin Medical Center, Hospital for Special Surgery, and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. ¹¹

As of 2026, Rudin was a director and vice president of the May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation which gave over $1.7 million in 2024 to organizations focused on the arts and left-of-center social issues in New York City, including the Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea Clinton Foundation; the Brooklyn Museum; Gay Men’s Health Crisis; the International Rescue Committee; the Natural Resources Defense Council; and Planned Parenthood of Greater New York. ¹²

Rudin’s civic, cultural, and philanthropic involvement has included his roles as chairman of the Battery Conservancy, president of the Empire State Relief Fund, and many board positions, including the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, the Partnership for New York City, the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York University, the New York Center for Autism, and the Alliance for Downtown New York. As of 2026, he was a member of the New York City Marathon Committee, JP Morgan Chase Manhattan Bank’s Regional Advisory Board, and the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). ¹

Politics

In 2024, Rudin donated to the New York State Democratic Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and to several Democratic candidates including Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Rep. Tim Kennedy (D-NY), Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY), Rep. Daniel Goldman (D-NY), and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). ¹³

In the 2022 election year, Rudin donated to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and several Democratic PACs such as the Getting Stuff Done PAC, the Real Estate Roundtable, PAC to the Future, and the La Bamba PAC . He donated to the campaigns of several Democrats including former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), former Sen. Bob Menendez Sr. (D-NJ), Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), and Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). ¹³

Rudin was a contributing member to Friends of Hillary, a campaign committee that was formed in 2000 to support then-First Lady Hillary Clinton’s campaign for the U.S. Senate, Hillary Clinton for President, and Obama for America, former President Barack Obama’s campaign committee. ¹⁴