Knight Named Boston Economic Development Chief

EMILY KNIGHT will start as Boston's new economic development chief on Oct. 19. Knight comes from The Engine, where she worked for almost nine years and has been CEO and president for the last three-and-a-half. She was head of operations at hospitality group Workbar from 2014 through 2017, and worked at facilities services company Sodexo for several years before that. "Emily understands what entrepreneurs and businesses need to succeed—and how to ensure that success reaches every neighborhood in our City. I’m thrilled to welcome her to our team," Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said. Knight has a bachelor's degree in hospitality administration/management from Cornell University and lives in Roslindale. "It wasn't an easy decision to leave a place and a team I love, but The Engine taught me that great companies don't succeed alone," Knight wrote on LinkedIn. "They need an ecosystem of talent, infrastructure, capital, and people willing to solve problems together. Now I get to take that thinking to the scale of a city I have cherished my whole life."