Senior Director Chris Hennessy Named a Los Angeles Business Journal Leader of Influence

Recognized for his demonstrated impact on the Los Angeles community, senior director Chris Hennessy was named to the Los Angeles Business Journal Leaders of Influence: Thriving in Their 40s. Read Chris’ profile in the LABJ here and more about him below.

With roots in hospitality, Chris is focused on providing the best client experience in his role as senior director in Shawmut’s West region, leading the pursuit and execution of projects across hotels, restaurants, life science, commercial, sports venues, museums, and high-end residential.

Chris’ success as a leader in construction—transforming and shaping LA’s economic opportunities and experience for locals and tourists alike—is due in part to his unique background. Entrenched in the Southern California hospitality industry for more than 15 years, Chris has worked on both the client and operations side, leveraging the two experiences to provide an approach to the construction process that not only considers all technical aspects, but the intricacies of the end user experience, as well. This approach has proven successful no matter what type of project he’s leading—from repurposing a warehouse and office building to create 50,000 square feet of lab space to executing ground-up construction directly above the Pacific Ocean.

Chris’ impressive book of business includes Nobu Hospitality, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Oak View Group, Levy Restaurants, and Soho House. His equally impressive portfolio includes Nobu Ryokan and Nobu Malibu, Soho Little Beach House and Soho Warehouse, Steak 48, The Hoxton DTLA, and The Houses at 8899 Beverly,

Chris has an unyielding focus on being the best partner to clients, taking a collaborative approach to all projects by looking at plans to identify and troubleshoot any errors or challenges upfront to produce the highest quality of work. Chris has become a master at preconstruction, understanding the importance of constructability and feasibility reviews as early as possible to ensure a project completes on schedule and within budget.

Building up those around him and supporting the future leaders of the industry, Chris is a mentor within Shawmut and the LA community, including for ACE Mentor Program. He is also actively involved with STEM Advantage and a volunteer with The Posse Foundation.