David Simon | $100M+

Centi-Millionaire

Oct 4

Get in touch with David Simon | David Simon, chairman, CEO, and president of Simon Property Group, has led the company to become the largest shopping mall operator in the United States and a global leader in retail real estate. Taking over leadership in the mid-1990s, he steered the Indianapolis-based firm through major acquisitions, including the purchase of Taubman Centers, and successfully navigated challenges posed by e-commerce and shifting consumer trends. Under his guidance, Simon Property Group has maintained dominance with hundreds of malls and premium outlets, while Simon himself has earned a reputation as one of the most influential executives in American real estate.

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David E. Simon (born 1961/1962) is an American billionaire real estate developer, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group, an S&P 100 company and the largest U.S. publicly traded commercial real estate company.

David Simon
Born​ 1961 or 1962 (age 62–63)[1]
Education​ Indiana University, Bloomington (BA)
Columbia University (MBA)
Spouse​ Jacqueline Freed (m. 1986)
Children​ 5
Relatives​ Melvin Simon (father)
Paul Skjodt (brother-in-law)
Contents

Early life

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Simon is the son of Jewish American real estate developer and founder Melvin Simon and his first wife Bess (née Meshulam).[2] He obtained a B.S. degree from Indiana University in 1983 and an M.B.A. from Columbia University's Graduate School of Business in 1985.[3]

Career

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Simon started his career at First Boston.[4] From 1988 to 1990, he worked at Wasserstein Perella & Co. as a vice president.[5]

In 1990,[6] he joined Simon Property precursor Melvin Simon & Associates as Chief Financial Officer. In 1993, he led the efforts to take Simon Property Group public with a nearly $1 billion initial public offering that, at the time, was the largest real estate stock offering. He became CEO in 1995 and chairman in 2007.

He is a former chairman of the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT) leadership team[7] and is a former trustee of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). In 2000, he was inducted into the Indiana University Kelley School of Business Academy of Alumni Fellows.[8]

Philanthropy

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In 2013, he donated $5 million to support the construction of Columbia Business School's new facilities.[9]

Personal life

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In 1986, he married Jacqueline Susan Freed.[10][11][12] They have five children.

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David Simon | $100M+

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