New York’s real estate industry sits at the intersection of finance, infrastructure, and digital transformation. Major property firms now operate complex ecosystems that include smart building technologies, tenant platforms, financial systems, and global data flows. Cybersecurity leaders in this sector are responsible not only for protecting sensitive financial and operational data, but also for safeguarding the digital backbone of commercial and residential real estate portfolios. The leaders below are shaping how real estate organizations manage cyber risk, ensure regulatory compliance, and maintain operational resilience in an increasingly connected environment.
John Grady — Senior Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer, Savills North America
John Grady serves as Senior Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer at Savills North America, where he leads cybersecurity strategy for one of the world’s leading commercial real estate advisory firms. His leadership reflects a career built through deep technical and infrastructure-focused roles. Prior to becoming CISO, he held senior information technology leadership positions at Savills, giving him operational insight into enterprise systems before transitioning fully into security leadership. Earlier in his career, he spent over 15 years at Leviton, progressing from Senior Network Engineer to Senior Project Manager, where he gained extensive experience designing, managing, and securing enterprise-scale network environments. His foundation began in hands-on infrastructure and IT management roles at Everest Broadband Networks and JG Wentworth, where he developed practical expertise in network operations, service delivery, and technical support. This progression from infrastructure to executive cybersecurity leadership gives him a uniquely operational perspective on securing modern real estate technology environments.
Charles Karazia — Director of Information Technology and Cybersecurity, LeFrak
Charles Karazia serves as Director of Information Technology and Cybersecurity at LeFrak, where he oversees cybersecurity and IT operations for one of the largest privately held real estate development firms in the United States. His career spans more than two decades in enterprise technology leadership, with extensive experience in infrastructure management, data center operations, and security program oversight. Prior to joining LeFrak, he served as Information Technology Director at STV, where he led enterprise IT initiatives and developed operational expertise across infrastructure, service delivery, and organizational technology strategy. His long tenure at LeFrak reflects sustained leadership in modernizing IT environments while strengthening cybersecurity protections across complex real estate portfolios that depend on highly available, secure digital systems.
Christopher Callahan — Chief Information Security Officer, Weichert Companies
Christopher Callahan serves as Chief Information Security Officer at Weichert Companies, where he built and now leads the organization’s enterprise cybersecurity program across its multiple real estate and financial services subsidiaries. His work has focused on establishing governance frameworks, vulnerability management, third-party risk programs, and compliance readiness aligned with regulatory requirements such as NIST, SOC 2, GDPR, and NYDFS cybersecurity regulations. He has guided the organization through major certification efforts, security program maturation, and operational resilience planning, including business continuity and incident preparedness initiatives. His leadership reflects a strong emphasis on aligning cybersecurity strategy with business growth, regulatory compliance, and enterprise risk management, ensuring security serves as a strategic enabler rather than an operational constraint.
Dane Fenner — Founder and Cybersecurity and Information Technology Security Manager, Fenner Legacy Holdings LLC
Dane Fenner serves as Founder and Cybersecurity and Information Technology Security Manager at Fenner Legacy Holdings LLC, where he leads cybersecurity strategy and operational risk management for asset-focused organizations. His background includes hands-on leadership in vulnerability management, network security, and enterprise risk remediation, including responsibility for identifying and mitigating infrastructure risks across healthcare and affiliated enterprise environments. His career reflects a combination of entrepreneurial leadership and technical cybersecurity management, with a focus on strengthening operational resilience, securing enterprise systems, and supporting organizations as they scale and modernize their digital infrastructure.
Kraig Elliott — Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer, Kimco Realty Corporation
Kraig Elliott serves as Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer at Kimco Realty Corporation, where he leads enterprise cybersecurity strategy, infrastructure protection, and risk management. With more than 28 years at Kimco, he has progressed through multiple infrastructure and security leadership roles, giving him deep operational knowledge. His leadership focuses on strengthening resilience, modernizing security architecture, and protecting large-scale real estate technology environments.
Securing New York’s Real Estate Digital Infrastructure
As real estate organizations continue adopting smart building systems, cloud platforms, and digital tenant services, cybersecurity has become a foundational component of operational stability and business trust. The leaders featured here are building resilient security programs that protect financial systems, operational technology, and sensitive data across large and complex real estate portfolios. Their work ensures that New York’s real estate sector can continue to innovate while maintaining the security and reliability expected in one of the world’s most important property markets.
As real estate platforms become increasingly digital and interconnected, cybersecurity leadership plays a central role in protecting high-value assets, sensitive transactions, and operational continuity—making New York’s Entertainment industry the natural next frontier, where security leaders defend global brands, intellectual property, and highly visible digital ecosystems.