Early life and education
Santora is a Staten Island native and has lived on Staten Island, New York, for most of his life. He grew up in the New Brighton neighborhood and currently resides in the Tottenville section of Staten. After high school he enrolled at the City University of New York; he earned a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and Fire Science from the College of Staten Island. He later completed the Wharton Fellows Program at the University of Pennsylvania. (Santora’s family has long ties to firefighting – his father and brother served as New York City firefighters, [5] and he currently serves on the board of the FDNY, reflecting this background)
Career background and key executive roles
Santora began his professional career in 1977 at Cushman & Wakefield, a global real estate services firm. He spent over 40 years at Cushman & Wakefield, [6] rising through the ranks from entry-level engineering and facilities roles to executive leadership. During his tenure he was based in New York and later in global management. Santora held a series of titles, he was Chief Executive Officer of North America (overseeing the firm’s largest region). [7] He was also President and then Chairman of Cushman & Wakefield’s New York Tri-State region, guiding strategy across New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. In addition to these executive roles, Santora sat on Cushman & Wakefield’s board of directors for two decades, giving him influence in corporate governance. Throughout his Cushman & Wakefield career, Santora built a reputation for pragmatic leadership and deep industry relationships.
Appointment as CEO of WeWork
In mid-2024, WeWork announced that it had successfully emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy and completed its global. [2] On June 11, 2024 the company issued a press release stating that the Board of Directors had appointed John C. Santora as WeWork’s new Chief Executive Officer (effective June 12, 2024). [8] This change followed the completion of WeWork’s financial reorganization and the departure of the prior interim CEO, David Tolley. [9] Santora joined WeWork as CEO precisely “as we exit bankruptcy” and “take it from there,” according to industry accounts. [10] He was selected by WeWork’s new majority investor (Yardi Systems) to lead the post-bankruptcy turnaround. [6] Santora’s appointment is widely cited as marking a new era of cost-conscious, real-estate-focused leadership at WeWork. [11] [12]
Santora has given several notable interviews and talks in his role at WeWork. Examples include:
- TIME magazine – “How CEO John Santora Is Helping WeWork Grow Up” (June 2024) [10]
- The Real Deal – “The Closing: John Santora” (May 2025) [13]
- Forbes Future of Work Summit (Sept 12, 2024) – Speaker at the summit; a video is posted on WeWork’s site in which he discusses industry trends and WeWork’s. [14]
He has also appeared in industry and financial media to discuss WeWork’s strategy and the office market, and routinely participates in WeWork-organized events describing the company’s progress.
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