NEW YORK (BLOOMBERG) -- More than a dozen corporate executives have been recruited by Mayor Zohran Mamdani to serve on a new business advisory council, as the democratic socialist leader seeks to improve his relations with a business community wary of his progressive views on the economy.
Among those joining the group, which is expected to meet with Mamdani on a quarterly basis, are Robert Wolf, the former chairman and chief executive of UBS Americas, Hamdi Ulukaya, the founder of the yogurt maker Chobani, and Priscilla Sims Brown, the president and CEO of Amalgamated Bank.
Mamdani has struggled to forge a comfortable rapport with many of New York’s business leaders, especially on Wall Street, a vital engine of growth and employment for the city. He has sparred at times with figures such as Ken Griffin, the founder of financial giant Citadel, one of New York’s biggest employers in finance, and the well-known investor Bill Ackman.
The mayor’s office said in a statement that the advisory group includes 15 leaders from important local industries including real estate, technology, sports, food and healthcare. John D’Angelo, the president and CEO of Northwell Health, the sprawling health system, and Kruti Patel Goyal, the chief executive of online marketplace Etsy Inc., are among those on the panel, according to a statement from City Hall.
While the group’s roster doesn’t feature any current executives from New York-based financial institutions that are among the city’s largest employers, such as JPMorgan Chase & Co., Citigroup Inc. and BlackRock Inc., it does include some names who once held top roles at major banks and finance firms.
Along with Wolf, former Lazard Inc. executive Antonio Weiss and Tony James, the former executive vice chairman of Blackstone Inc., were named to the panel. The group’s inaugural meeting is expected to take place this fall.
“The doors of City Hall are always open to New York’s business leaders, and I look forward to welcoming their experience and strategic guidance as we build a stronger, more dynamic economy,” Mamdani said in a statement.
While some of the mayor’s critics in the business community have warned that his policies could do lasting damage to New York’s economy, his administration said the city has added jobs at a brisk pace this year and that overall employment is near an all-time high. The unemployment rate has improved for five months in a row, falling to 5% in July, City Hall said.
Some executives that were courted for the advisory group were said to have declined.
The Mamdani administration reached out to Jose Tavarez, president for New York City at Bank of America Corp., Kenneth Chenault, the former chief executive of American Express Co., and Charles Phillips, a board member of the Partnership for New York City, but none of the three ended up joining.
Bank of America, Chenault and Phillips didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
