Poplar Homes Names Lydia Bowers Chief People Officer
Veteran Startup HR Leader to Help Take Company to the Next Level
Poplar Homes, the tech-enabled property management company changing the way independent single-family rental investors and multifamily owners manage their rental properties, announced that Lydia Bowers joined the company as Chief People Officer, a new role at the company. Reporting to Poplar CEO Greg Toschi, Bowers will play a pivotal role in evolving the People function as the company continues its nationwide expansion.
Bowers brings more than a decade of experience and a diverse background in human resources, including scaling HR teams, implementing processes and systems, talent acquisition, coaching, employee experience and engagement at transformative companies.
“Poplar has always been a people-first organization. As we continue to grow the size and complexity of our company, we’re thrilled to add Lydia to our executive team,” Toschi said. “She brings a track record of scaling HR functions and enabling world-class cultures at high-growth companies that attract, develop and retain the best talent in the industry.”
Bowers was most recently the Vice President, People, at Flexcar, a vehicle subscription company that was spun out of Zipcar in 2021. During her tenure, she built the HR function from the ground up while overseeing a 400% growth in headcount and the company’s expansion to five states and three countries. She also built the People functions at Spyce, a fast casual restaurant startup that was acquired by Sweetgreen and Ellevest, a VC-based investment platform for women.
“Throughout my career, I have been attracted by opportunities to build human resources functions at transformative companies that enable a company to scale to meet their growth objectives. Poplar’s team members are the reason the company has grown so quickly, and I’m excited for the opportunity to be working with a world-class team that is passionate about its employees and understands the role an effective HR function can play in achieving its business objectives,” Bowers said.
Bowers is the latest in a series of leadership appointments at Poplar designed to support the company’s growth. In August 2022, Scott Breon was promoted to President from Chief Strategy Officer and Michael Prinn joined as the company’s first Chief Financial Officer in October 2022.
Since March 2022, Poplar has raised $110 million to expand nationwide through strategic acquisitions. To date, the company has used the funding to complete 16 acquisitions and expand into 11 new states. Poplar currently manages more than 15,000 properties in 25 markets across 17 states and plans to add 20 new markets in 2023, doubling its doors under management.
Bowers holds a bachelor’s degree from Mount Holyoke College and a master’s from Cornell University, School of Industrial and Labor Relations. She is based in Boston.
