Co-Chief Operating Officer, General Counsel & Corporate Security
Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc.
Jennifer J. Banks is Co-Chief Operating Officer, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Alexandria Real Estate Equities. As Co-Chief Operating Officer, Banks oversees the company’s risk management operations. She leads a team that advises the company on a range of legal matters, including acquisitions and dispositions, construction and development, litigation, investment, compliance, intellectual property, leasing, property management, and joint venture.
Banks serves as a key legal advisor to Alexandria and has cemented her reputation as a trusted partner and mentor within the organization. She became the first woman in company history to join Alexandria’s executive management team in 2013, and was appointed to co-chief operating officer in April 2018. In her role as Alexandria’s general counsel, she has identified, developed, and implemented legal and compliance framework to lead and grow the company’s in-house legal department. As Co-COO, Banks leads the company’s risk management operations, managing key areas of the program, including real property, environmental, anti-bribery and cyber security risk management. She leads with a self-starter and collaborative mindset, and in doing so she has created an in-house legal team that is highly respected and sought out for counsel by colleagues throughout the organization. Not only has she built an efficient in house group, she has also been instrumental in selecting outside counsel, which is key in handling the wide range of legal needs to run a public company.
Banks has over 19 years of commercial real estate and related legal experience. She previously practiced law in the real estate departments of Skadden, Arps, Meagher & Flom LLP and O’Melveny & Myers LLP.
