Rukevbe (Rukus) Esi is Chief Digital Officer for AvalonBay Communities, Inc., the 16th largest publicly traded REIT.
In this role, Rukevbe is responsible for driving change leveraging technology and data to transform the organization’s operating model, drive innovation, improve customer experience, unlock new revenue streams, and improve operational efficiencies.
Rukevbe also co-leads the company’s Innovation Council focused on steering the organization’s VC and direct investments.
Prior to AvalonBay, Rukevbe was Vice President and CTO for CapitalOne Auto Finance’s Consumer and Refinance Business. Under his leadership, his organization developed products from a customer-backed perspective which included launching the native mobile app experience of Capital One’s AutoNavigator product and its augmented reality capabilities.
Rukevbe serves on the board of the Arlington Free Clinic, an organization focused on advancing health equity.
Rukevbe received his MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and holds a B.S. degree in Computer Science and M.S. degree in Software Engineering from George Mason University.
