Managing Director and Senior Partner of the GRI Institute, he runs the institute's real estate division in Europe, managing a highly evolved platform of conferences and member-only activities in various locations across the continent.
ABOUT EUROPE GRI 2026
At GRI Institute, we've moved beyond the conventional real estate event format, recognizing the need for more meaningful engagement through conversations driven by the very professionals who are actively shaping the investment industry.
Europe GRI brings together top-tier real estate players from around the world, including investors, lenders, developers, and industry leaders, for two days of exclusive roundtable investment discussions, pre-scheduled meetings, and soft introductions that will enable you to focus on dealflow opportunities.
In our unique discussion setting, participants come together to collaboratively create deal flow across asset classes, investment solutions, and countries - all whilst forging valuable connections.
At Europe GRI 2026, you can find your ideal business partners, cultivate valuable relationships, and continue these conversations through members-only roundtables held throughout the year and on our innovative online platform.
Unique Format
Discussion format that enables you to interact and engage.
In-depth industry knowledge.
Networking made easy .
Discussion Streams
Opening Talkshow | Day 1
LPs-GPs Capital
The 2027 Mandate — Allocation Shifts, Portfolio Priorities & Where Institutional Capital Goes Next
Opening Talkshow | Day 2
International Capital
Global Macro Forces Shaping Real Estate Strategies
Closing Talkshow | Day 2
AI, Real Estate & Future Trends
Investment & Deals
Core
Where Are Real Deals Clearing in Europe Right Now?
Value-Add
What Actually Trades in 2026?
Club Deals, JVs & Co-Invests
Are Bilateral Deals the New Normal?
Buyers X Sellers Reality Check
Pricing, Earn-Outs & Creative Structuring
Exit Optionality
Underwriting Liquidity Before You Buy
Portfolio Trades vs. Single Assets
Liquidity Pros & Cons
Secondaries Market
A New Trading Window?
Dry Powder
Ready to Deploy or Still Waiting for Conviction?
Financing, Debt & Credit
The European Debt Map
Who’s Lending, On What, and Why
Refinancing the Wall
What Breaks, What Extends, What Reprices
Private Credit x Banks Collaboration
Where Each Wins?
Mid-market Financing Deals
Capital Stack: Whole Loans, Preferred Equity, Mezz
Capital Stack Engineering
Living
Living as a Defensive Play
Myth or Reality?
Residential BTS Development & Regulation Across Europe
Where Returns Survive
PBSA
Still Wins, But Where Is the Next Upside?
Flex, Serviced Apartments & Co-Living
Where the Models Work and Where It Breaks?
Senior Living
The Next Core?
Build-to-Rent
Can the Model Still Deliver Across Different Regions?
Where Risk Really Sits - Hotel Management Companies
Platform Plays vs. Single Assets Deals
Scaling Hospitality in Europe
Commercial Real Estate
Office 2.0
Which Markets Still Underwrite
Retail Polarisation
Prime Recovery vs. Secondary Decline
Logistics Pan-European Strategies
Logistics Local Markets Deals
Conversions & Repositioning
When Does CRE Still Make Sense?
Data Centers
Still Underwritten or Already Overcrowded?
Countries
UK
Liquidity Leader or Structural Outlier?
Capital Returns to Germany
Are Buyers, Sellers and Lenders Finally Aligned?
Spain
Yield, Growth & Upward Demand Curve, Is the Window Still Open?
Italy
Can Capital Scale Up?
Portugal
Still a Capital Choice, or Nearing Peak Pricing?
CEE’s Next Chapter
Where Should Cross-Border Capital Play Now?
GCC
Global Capital Magnet?
Nordics Capital Re-entry
Where Is Money Moving First?
USA
France
Investissement et Risque France
Financement France
Immobilier Tertiaire et Transformation
Living France
Future Trends
CapEx, ESG & Obsolescence
The Hidden Return Killer
Data & Underwriting
Hype vs. Competitive Advantage
Demographics Long-Term Demand
Which Real Estate Sectors Win the Next Decade?
Venture Capital, Proptech & Real Estate Innovation
What Creates Real Value Now?
Smart Operations at Scale
How Automation & Robotics Are Reshaping Real Estate Performance?
Some of the Confirmed Attendees
Agnes
Decourcelle
Global Head of Real Estate Syndicate
Societe Generale
Alexi
Antolovich
Global Co-Head RE
Macquarie Group
Andrea
Bora
MD, Co-Head of EMEA RE Finance
Goldman Sachs
Aref
Lahham
Founding Partner & Managing Director
Orion Capital Managers
Audrey
Klein
Partner
Spencer House Partners
Axel
Brinkmann
European Head - RBC Real Estate Capital Partners & Real Estate Corporate Banking
RBC - Real Estate Capital Partners
Christopher
Mertlitz
Managing Director, Head of European Investments
W P Carey International
Cristina
García-Peri
Senior Partner Head of Strategy and Business Development
Azora
Cristina
Pérez Liz
Co-Head Real Estate Investments Europe
Octopus Real Estate
Dan
Teper
Global Real Estate
Abu Dhabi Investment Council
Dave
O Brien
Director Living Strategies
EQT Real Estate
Emanuele
Dubini
President
DeA Capital Real Estate
Fabrizio
Grena
Founding Partner and CEO
Emerald Pine Capital
Florent
Danset
Senior Managing Director and Co-Head of Europe
Harbert Management Corporation - France
George
Fraser-Harding
Head of Pan-European Funds RE
Aviva Investors
Harry
Lewis
Vice President, International Real Estate
QuadReal Property Group
Ioanna
Paschalidou
Head of Portfolio Management
Henderson Park Capital
James
Piper
Partner
TPG
Joseph
De Leo
Senior Partner
PineBridge Benson Elliot
Laurine
Amiel
Investment Director, CRE Debt in Europe and UK
Australian Super
Lorna
Brown
CEO
Birchwood Real Estate Capital
Maria
Nadal Dargallo
VP, Special Situations
Bain Capital
Nicola
Free
Head of CRE, EMEA
Wells Fargo
Oliver
Vines
Senior Director of Real Estate Europe
PSP Investments
Olivier
Astruc
Managing Director
EQT Real Estate
Omar
Koleilat
Executive Chairman
Crestyl
Paul
Nearchou
Partner
DFI (Deutsche Finance International)
Philipp
Braunfels
Managing Director
Jamestown
Romain
Ferron
Partner
Davidson Kempner
Thomas
Blangy
Senior Vice President
QuadReal Property Group
Toni
Elias
Managing Director
Sixth Street
William
Twemlow
Managing Director, Co-Head, European Real Estate Debt
Ares Management
Agnes Decourcelle
Global Head of Real Estate SyndicateSociete Generale
United Kingdom
Agnes Decourcelle serves as Global Head of Real Estate Syndicate at Societe Generale UK, where she leads real estate syndication activities across international markets. Based in London, she oversees structured real estate financing solutions and manages relationships with institutional investors. With extensive expertise in real estate capital markets, Agnes has played a key role in developing Societe Generale's real estate syndication platform, facilitating complex transactions and providing strategic advisory services to clients. Her leadership encompasses deal origination, structuring, and execution of real estate investment opportunities across diverse property sectors and geographical markets within the global real estate finance industry.
Alexi Antolovich serves as the Global Co-Head of Real Estate at Macquarie Capital Principal Finance, where he plays a pivotal role in providing flexible capital solutions across the real estate sector. He leverages Macquarie Group's balance sheet to offer debt and equity solutions for real estate clients in Europe, North America, and Australasia. Antolovich has been instrumental in significant transactions, including providing €123.4 million in financing for DL Invest Group's logistics portfolio in Poland and leading a £188 million senior debt facility for the refinancing of The Stage residential tower in London. His focus includes strategic investments in markets like the UK, Ireland, Germany, and Scandinavia, emphasizing robust legal frameworks and well-capitalized sponsors.
Andrea Bora is a Managing Director in Goldman Sachs Real Estate Finance team, he is located in London and co-heads the firm's EMEA CRE debt team, focusing on distribution. Andrea joined the firm from Morgan Stanley where he worked for 7 years in CRE finance mainly within the ELOC CMBS program and prior to that he was for 5 years at Bear Stearns on a similar role. Andrea has extensive experience in all aspects of CRE finance including origination, structuring and distribution. From his current role Andrea has recently run distribution of debt transactions in various jurisdictions including UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Benelux and Poland.
Founding Partner & Managing DirectorOrion Capital Managers
United Kingdom
Aref Lahham is Founder and Managing Director of Orion. He is located primarily in Orion’s London office and acts as Orion’s Chief Executive Officer, setting the strategy and leading the Orion Fund’s acquisition team. He has been responsible for over €5.0 billion of property acquisitions throughout Europe. Aref has 34 years of real estate investment and development experience in the US and Europe. He has served on the board of French public quoted company Société Foncière Lyonnaise as well as on the investment committee of a Bulgari sponsored private equity fund called Opera. Mr. Lahham has a BSc in Civil Engineering from Purdue University, a Masters of Engineering in Civil Engineering from Cornell University and an MBA from INSEAD.
Audrey Klein is a Partner at Spencer House Partners (www.spencerhousepartners.com) running the 3rd-party fundraising business and is based in London. Before SPH she held Head of Fundraising roles at several firms but is best known for starting the European business out of London for the Park Hill Real Estate Group, a Division of Blackstone, which she ran for 9 yrs. Prior to joining Park Hill, she ran her own business for 5 yrs marketing alternative asset funds across all asset classes to European investors comprised of pension funds, banks, family offices. She is a graduate of Northwestern University's Kellogg School of business where she received an MBA, and is also a graduate of Emory University with a degree in Economics. Audrey is on the Corporate Board of Great Ormond Street Hospital and is a Non-Exec Board Member at Thriving, SFO and Planet Smart City. She is a Trustee of ULI's Charitable Trust and is on the board of Verbier 3-D.
European Head - RBC Real Estate Capital Partners & Real Estate Corporate BankingRBC - Real Estate Capital Partners
United Kingdom
Axel Brinkmann is the European Head of the Royal Bank of Canada’s Real Estate Capital Partners (RECP) group. This group provides a range of financial services including mortgage, whole-loan, mezzanine, and loan-on-loan facilities to real estate sponsors in the US, Europe, UK, and Australia. Axel is also a member of the RBC Capital Markets' European Executive Committee and manages the bank's European real estate corporate banking activities. Previously, he was part of LaSalle Investment Management's Debt Investment and Special Situations group, contributing to its establishment and growth since 2010. Axel began his career in the real estate structured finance team at Wells Fargo, working in Frankfurt and London.
Managing Director, Head of European InvestmentsW P Carey International
USA
Christopher Mertlitz joined W. P. Carey's European Investments Team in 2011 and was appointed Managing Director and Head of European Investments in 2021. Chris oversees W. P. Carey’s European investment activity including the sourcing, underwriting, negotiating and structuring of all European transactions. Since joining W. P. Carey, Chris has focused on sale-leasebacks, build-to-suits, forward take-outs, cross-border and multi-party transactions.
Senior Partner Head of Strategy and Business DevelopmentAzora
Spain
Cristina García-Peri is Senior Partner and Head of Strategy and Corporate Development for the Azora Group. Prior to joining Azora in 2011, she worked for 16 years in the investment- banking sector at both Merrill Lynch (2 years) and JP Morgan (14 years), where she held various positions across M&A and Equity Capital Markets, and for 10 year, she was Managing Director responsible for Corporate Equity Derivatives for EMEA as well as Equity Capital Markets for Spain and Portugal. Cristina holds a bachelor degree in Economics from ICADE (Spain) and an MBA from Harvard Business School (USA). Cristina is Board Member at Bankinter, a Spanish IBEX 35 banking institution, where she Chairs the Nominations and Sustainability Committee.
Co-Head Real Estate Investments EuropeOctopus Real Estate
Spain
Cristina joined Octopus Capital in 2024 and heads our Spanish office and is Co-head of Real Estate Investment. Cristina is a seasoned Real Estate Investment leader with 30 years of experience. She has worked with top firms across Europe to invest and divest across a variety of real estate sectors, such as Kennedy Wilson, Santander, Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan. Over the course of her career, she has led teams and projects that have significantly influenced both the financial and physical landscapes of Spain.
Dan Teper serves as Global Real Estate professional at Abu Dhabi Investment Council (ADIC), where he leverages extensive expertise in international real estate investment and portfolio management. Based in the UAE, Teper plays a key role in ADIC's global real estate strategy, identifying and executing strategic property investments across diverse markets. His experience spans commercial real estate development, asset management, and cross-border transactions. At ADIC, he contributes to the sovereign wealth fund's diversified investment approach, focusing on high-value real estate opportunities that align with the organization's long-term growth objectives and risk management framework.
Dave is responsible for EQT Real Estate's Investments covering the DACH and NL regions. Originally from Dublin, Dave has invested over €10 billion throughout his 18 years in the residential real estate sector and has has held senior positions in acquisition and asset management for Heimstaden & Round Hill Capital.
Emanuele Dubini joined, as Managing Partner, DeA Capital Real Estate Building up the French Operations. DeA Capital Real Estate France IS Part of DeA Capital pan-European real estate Expansion Via Group Subsidiaries Through Local Senior Management Teams.The Company, headquarter in Paris, is a joint venture between the DeA Capital Group and a local Senior Management team with a proven track record in the French real estate sector. Emanuele has a proven experience and knowledge of the sector, having held numerous senior leadership roles in companies in Europe and the USA.
Fabrizio Grena is the Co-Founder and CEO of Emerald Pine Capital, an independent investor and operating partner focused on real estate, special-situations, sport infrastructure and real asset investing across Europe. The firm partners with best-in-class operators and institutional investors to unlock value in situations requiring creativity, speed, and hands-on asset management. Prior to founding Emerald Pine, Fabrizio spent two decades at Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, and Merrill Lynch in senior real-estate and special-situations investing roles.
Fabrizio holds an MSc in Finance from Bocconi University in Milan.
Senior Managing Director and Co-Head of EuropeHarbert Management Corporation - France
United Kingdom
Florent is Senior Managing Director and Co-Head of Europe for Harbert’s Real Estate platform. He leads the strategic sourcing and execution of value-add investments across logistics, residential and related real asset strategies in Europe, overseeing cross-border teams and the full investment lifecycle.
Before joining Harbert, Florent was the Co-Founder and CEO of Alte, a pan-European real estate investment platform focused on thematic value-add strategies. He led corporate strategy, investments and senior management while building the firm’s capital formation, sourcing and execution capabilities across multiple sectors.
Previously, Florent held senior roles at Blackstone in the Real Estate Debt Strategies group and at Partners Group, where he helped build the European direct real estate investment platform and executed transactions across the capital stack. Over his career, he has been involved in investing more than USD 3bn of capital across European private equity real estate.
George sits on the Real Estate SLT responsible for European and leveraged funds. Based in Aviva Investors’ Paris office, the team there reports to him and he has direct responsibility for the European origination, transaction and asset management lines.
Vice President, International Real EstateQuadReal Property Group
United Kingdom
Harry is a Vice President at QuadReal Property Group, where he focuses on investments across the UK
and Continental Europe.
Since joining in July 2021, he has played a key role in growing QuadReal’s European portfolio, supporting
both investment and asset management activity across the living, logistics, and self-storage sectors.
Prior to joining QuadReal, Harry worked at Eastdil Secured in London, advising on pan-European
transactions across multiple sectors, with a focus on dispositions and debt financing.
Harry holds a degree in Land Economy from the University of Cambridge.
Head of Portfolio ManagementHenderson Park Capital
United Kingdom
Ioanna Paschalidou is the Head of Portfolio Management at Henderson Park Capital Partners, leading the firm's Fund and Portfolio management teams since 2018. With over 17 years of real estate asset management experience across Europe, she has held significant roles at top firms. Before joining Henderson Park, she was a Principal at Blackstone in London, managing German office and retail portfolios worth around €5 billion. Her duties included strategy oversight for leasing, capital projects, financings, and sales. Paschalidou also held senior positions at Tishman Speyer, serving as a Senior Director in Development and Asset Management in Frankfurt and as a Portfolio Manager for their pan-European value-add fund in London. She started her career as an Analyst at JP Morgan Asset Management. Ioanna holds a Master of Engineering from the University of Oxford and a Master of Science from University College London.
Mr. Piper is a Partner, Co-Head of Europe and member of TPG Real Estate’s Investment Committee, based in London. Prior to joining TPG, he was a Partner in the Real Estate Group at Ares Management, where he spent 12 years, before which he was a member of the European Mergers & Acquisitions Group at Credit Suisse. He received a Masters degree in Physics from the University of Cambridge, where he graduated with First Class Honours. He is also a trustee and Honorary Treasurer of the Royal Trinity Hospice, a charity providing care and support for those with life-limiting conditions in London.
Joseph has over 20 years’ experience in the real estate industry across Europe and North America. Joseph joined Benson Elliot in 2008 and co-heads all investment and asset management activity. Before joining Benson Elliot, he was a Managing Director at Fortress Investment Group in Frankfurt, Germany where he built and managed a team of 40 real estate professionals with investments of €5.5bn, and led c. €700m of exits and re-financings. Prior to joining Fortress, Joseph was a Vice President at Oxford Properties Group in Toronto, Canada and worked at Borealis Capital Corp, where he managed a C$3.8bn retail investment business.
Investment Director, CRE Debt in Europe and UKAustralian Super
United Kingdom
Laurine Amiel is an Investment Director, CRE Debt in Europe and UK at AustralianSuper, a role she has held since February 2022. She is instrumental in expanding the fund's international investment portfolio, focusing on European mid-market corporate lending and commercial real estate debt through direct and indirect strategies. Prior to AustralianSuper, Laurine spent over a decade at Natixis, holding positions such as Vice President of Syndication in Real Estate & Hospitality for Europe and Vice President of Commercial Real Estate, with a focus on US Commercial Mortgage Loans. Her expertise spans private credit, real estate finance, and leveraged finance, contributing to AustralianSuper's significant presence in the European market. She holds Master's degrees from Université Paris Dauphine - PSL.
Lorna Brown serves as CEO of Birchwood Real Estate Capital UK Limited, a prominent real estate investment and development company. With extensive experience in the UK property sector, she leads strategic initiatives and oversees the company's investment portfolio. Brown brings deep expertise in real estate capital markets, development projects, and asset management. Under her leadership, Birchwood Real Estate Capital has established itself as a key player in the UK real estate investment landscape, focusing on delivering value through strategic property investments and developments across various sectors.
Maria joined Bain in 2021, bringing prior investment experience from Oaktree Capital and Ares Management. She began her career in Citi's investment banking division in London. Maria holds a BBA and an MSc in Finance/CEMS from ESADE Business School.
Industry leader with over 20 years experience in the European commercial real estate industry with a strong and loyal network of market players. Uniquely diverse background covering loan origination, structuring, underwriting, execution, capital markets and distribution of loans and bonds via CMBS and syndication. An inspirational and dynamic group leader with a history of transforming teams to drive optimum results whilst maintaining a strong risk discipline. Passionate about developing future talent and leading diversity initiatives. A qualified lawyer.
Senior Director of Real Estate EuropePSP Investments
United Kingdom
Oliver Vines serves as the Senior Director of Real Estate Europe at PSP Investments, one of Canada's largest pension investment managers. In this role, he contributes to managing a diversified global portfolio with a significant focus on real estate investments across Europe. PSP Investments' real estate strategy involves establishing joint ventures with leading partners and investing across various property sectors.
Mr. Astruc is Managing Director and Head of Asset Management, Europe Living at EQT Real Estate. He oversees value creation for a €3bn pan-European portfolio invested in rental residential, student housing, self storage assets from closing to disposition of properties. Prior to EQT Partners, Mr. Astruc was Senior Fund Manager at AXA IM Real Assets, investing in hotel, hospital and data centre properties. Previously, he worked with PGIM Real Estate as Head of Transactions for France and Vice President for European Value Add investments across hotel, self storage, office and residential asset classes. He started his career at GE Real Estate investing in France.
Omar Koleilat is a co-founder of the Crestyl Group. He draws up business strategy, maintains relations with investors and ensures funds. He graduated in architecture and holds the British RICS postgraduate diploma in RE investments. He has been active in the RE development in Central Europe since 1998. Thanks to him the CRESTYL group became a respected market leader with a Eur 2 billion development program, including for example lucrative and unique Savarin project.
Paul is Managing Director and Head of Northern Europe Investments at DFI. Prior to joining the firm, he was an Associate in the investment team at Patron Capital, focusing on the origination, execution and asset management of opportunistic/value-add asset-backed investments across Europe. He began his career as an Analyst at Goldman Sachs in London. Paul holds a first-class Bachelor of Economics degree from the University of Nottingham and achieved a distinction in his Postgraduate degree in Real Estate Economics and Finance from the London School of Economics.
Philipp Braunfels serves as Managing Director at Jamestown, a prominent real estate investment and management company. Based in Germany, he oversees the company's Latin American operations and strategic initiatives. With extensive experience in international real estate markets, Braunfels brings deep expertise in cross-border investment strategies and market development. His leadership focuses on identifying and executing value-driven real estate opportunities across Latin America, leveraging Jamestown's global platform to deliver institutional-quality investment solutions. Under his direction, the company has expanded its presence in key Latin American markets while maintaining its commitment to innovative real estate strategies.
Romain Ferron is a Partner at Davidson Kempner Capital Management and oversees Real Estate in Europe and Asia. He has been at the firm since 2013. From 2009 to 2013, Romain worked at Starwood Capital Group in London in their European Acquisitions team. From 2006 to 2009, he was an investment banking analyst at UBS Investment Bank in the Real Estate and Leisure Group in London. Romain is French and received his Master of Science in Management from ESSEC Business School in Paris in 2006.
Thomas joined QuadReal as Vice President, International Real Estate in May 2019. He forms part of the investment team which is focused on building the international portfolio, with an emphasis on investing in Global Cities in UK and Europe. Thomas joins QuadReal having spent eight years at Morgan Stanley Real Estate Investing (MSREI) in London, where he was originally hired as an Analyst and was promoted to Vice President prior to joining QuadReal. At MSREI, he was a part of the pan-European acquisitions team, where he invested in Western Europe and CEE. Prior to MSREI, Thomas spent a year as an investment analyst for AEW Europe’s real estate private equity fund. Thomas graduated from HEC Paris with a specialisation in Economics.
Toni Elias is a Managing Director at Sixth Street, a global investment firm. He joined Sixth Street as a Principal in January 2021 and serves as a Board Member at Vía Célere. Elias possesses extensive finance and investment expertise from prior roles as a Principal at The Baupost Group and an Analyst at Blackstone. He also held positions at Bain & Company and Banco Sabadell, and holds degrees from Esade and Texas McCombs.
Managing Director, Co-Head, European Real Estate DebtAres Management
United Kingdom
Mr. Twemlow is a Managing Director and Co-Head of European Real Estate Debt in Ares Real Estate. Prior to joining Ares in 2014, Mr. Twemlow was an Analyst in the UK Investment Banking team at J.P. Morgan. Mr. Twemlow holds a degree, first class honours, from the University College London in Economics. He was on the Dean's List and won the AJL Cahill Memorial Prize for Economics.
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