CEO Les Hiscoe has been selected as one of commercial real estate’s Best Bosses of 2024 by GlobeSt. The 2024 CRE Best Bosses List features only 50 leaders who are driving their companies forward and leading by example, while offering transparent support to employees and colleagues during uncertain times.
Les’ profile highlights the impact he has made in elevating Shawmut from a local firm to a national player; his current role leading Shawmut through its strategic growth plan that focuses on increasing market share of large-scale projects with substantial scope and complexity; and his commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and Shawmut’s world-class safety programing. Read the GlobeSt. profile here, and learn more about Les below.
With more than three decades of construction industry experience, Shawmut CEO Les Hiscoe leads the construction management firm with a focus on delivering a differentiated customer experience and the highest levels of client service. Since joining Shawmut in 1998, he has risen from the role of project manager to VP and then from president and COO to CEO. Hiscoe has grown revenue from $662 million to $1.6 billion, elevating Shawmut from a local firm to a national player with 11 offices nationwide. He is now ushering the firm through an aggressive growth plan focused on increasing market share of large-scale projects. When Hiscoe took the helm of Shawmut as CEO, he embarked on a total cultural transformation and established DEI as a companywide strategic priority.
“One of the main reasons I’ve thrived here is the welcoming and inclusive company Les has built,” says director of marketing and communications Allison Gifford, who has been with the firm for 17 years. “Not only is he an inspiring leader, but he continually dedicates himself to creating a culture of diversity, inclusions, and belonging.”
Hiscoe promotes a culture of care that encourages everyone to look out for and support each other, work to break stigmas around mental health and keep wellbeing at the forefront of everything. He has been the driving force behind ensuring Shawmut’s safety program prioritizes total worker health.
“This holistic approach has proven effective in significantly reducing safety incidents,” says chief safety officer Shaun Carvalho. “As a result, our company now engages in in-depth, regular conversations about safety. Les truly comprehends that for individuals to be their best, they need to feel safe and secure.”