Brandi Hanback
By Joshua Burd
Rockefeller Group has tapped Executive Vice President Brandi Hanback as the sole leader of its U.S. development platform and a pipeline that totals more than 17 million square feet.
Hanback, who is based in Annapolis, Maryland, had been serving as the firm’s co-head of development since early 2024. Her newest role began on Jan. 1, as she spearheads roughly $6 billion in active projects across Rockefeller Group’s seven U.S. regional offices along with the business line’s overall strategy, execution and continued growth.
She has held leadership positions within the company’s development business since 2013, which it described as a period of rapid expansion.
“Brandi has been an outstanding leader and an integral contributor to our success over many years, helping to ensure our projects deliver value to our partners, clients and communities,” said Daniel J. Moore, Rockefeller Group’s CEO and president. “Most notably, her early contributions to our industrial development expansion positioned us extremely well to serve the growing ecommerce and logistics sectors, and in recent years she has been instrumental in the implementation of our growth strategy into new markets and product types.”
Since 2019, when Hanback was named deputy head of development, the company’s active project portfolio has more than tripled, with more than 40 real estate developments in 15 states, including multifamily, industrial, office and mixed-use assets, according to a news release. Today, the firm has development professionals operating in 12 U.S. offices, including New York, where it owns and manages roughly 6 million square feet of high-end office space in Midtown Manhattan.
Hanback joined its team in 2003 and began by leading Rockefeller Group Foreign Trade Zone Services, an advisory firm for tenants and independent clients in the areas of foreign trade zone designations, trade and supply chain matters, the news release said. From 2013 to 2019, she led the company’s industrial development platform, a stretch in which the business line completed more than 8 million square feet of new development, helping to establish Rockefeller Group as one of the nation’s leading industrial development firms.
“At Rockefeller Group, we are fortunate to have a long and prestigious track record fortified by an exceptional team,” Hanback said. “That foundation, supported by trust and collaboration with treasured partners and investors, have combined to help us grow our platform exponentially. I’m looking forward to continued collaboration with our regional development leaders to bring extraordinary properties to the market and accelerate our growth trajectory.”
Before Rockefeller Group, Hanback started TradeStar Advisory Services, which provided clients with a variety of international trade services. She also worked as a senior manager at KPMG from 1999 to 2003 and spent 10 years prior as executive director of the National Association of Foreign-Trade Zones.
Hanback holds a juris doctorate from the Catholic University of America and is admitted to the bars of Maryland, District of Columbia and the U.S. Supreme Court, the news release said. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Virginia Tech and George Mason University in political science and international transactions, respectively.
Additionally, Hanback is a former board chair of the National Association of Foreign-Trade Zones and was made an honorary life member of the NAFTZ in 2019. She is an active member of Commercial Real Estate Women and is a regular speaker on the U.S. real estate market, trade and logistics.
