GRI Berlin Forum 2026

Marcus joined M&G Real Estate in June 2022 to lead the European Living strategy. Marcus brings over 15 years of Pan-European residential real estate experience to M&G Real Estate and has managed more than €8bn of residential real estate in various European countries. Prior to joining M&G Real Estate, he served as Head of Residential Asset Management at Round Hill Capital (RHC). Marcus was responsible for working together with stakeholders across its residential businesses to ensure that RHC took a consistent, high-quality approach to the active management of its residential businesses. Prior to that he served as Head of Corporate Development and Strategy at Deutsche Wohnen.

Executive Director / Head of Investment

Founder and Managing Director at YOOBELONG GmbH. YOOBELONG is the first local community builder for ‘young seniors’ in Germany (whether young by age, or young by heart). Jil has 20 years of experience in international environments with real estate development and services companies as well as tech companies in the digital consumer and enterprise software areas.

Melissa is an Investment Director at ECE Real Estate Partners. ECE Real Estate Partners is an institutional investment management firm focused on European shopping centres and hotels with more than € 10bn assets under management. Melissa is responsible for a portfolio of shopping centres throughout Europe. In addition, Melissa carries out acquisitions of new assets for the various funds and divestments of the existing assets. Prior to joining ECE REP in April 2018, Melissa worked as an Analyst for Aerium Finance in London from August 2015 to March 2018, focusing on commercial investments (retail & office) in Germany, Finland, Spain, and the UK. Melissa holds a Master of Science degree in Real Estate Investment from Cass Business School

Refael Zamir serves as CEO of Grand City Properties, a leading German residential real estate company. Under his leadership, the company has grown to become one of Europe's largest property investment firms, managing over 60,000 residential units across Germany and other European markets. Zamir brings extensive experience in real estate investment, urban development, and portfolio management. He has been instrumental in driving the company's strategic expansion and modernization initiatives, focusing on sustainable property development and tenant satisfaction. His expertise spans across property acquisition, asset management, and market analysis, positioning Grand City Properties as a key player in the European residential real estate sector.

Sven Volker Blankenburg serves as Head of Syndication (CRE) at Berliner Sparkasse, one of Germany's leading regional savings banks. In his role, he oversees commercial real estate syndication activities, managing complex financing structures and coordinating multi-lender transactions across the German market. With extensive expertise in commercial real estate finance, Blankenburg leads strategic initiatives in loan syndication, risk distribution, and institutional partnerships. His position involves structuring large-scale property financing deals and maintaining relationships with institutional investors and banking partners. At Berliner Sparkasse, he contributes to the bank's commercial real estate portfolio growth and risk management strategies within the competitive German financial services sector.

Ulrich von Creytz is Chief Investment Officer of DWS’s European Real Estate business. Ulrich joined the firm in 2004 and has held several leadership positions within its real estate business. Most recently, he was Head of the Real Estate Specialist-Team in Europe. Additionally, he is a board member of DWS’s Real Estate entities since 2014. Ulrich has a First State Examination in Law from University of Freiburg; Second State Examination in Law from Superior Court of Justice Berlin; PhD in Constitutional Law from University of Freiburg; Real Estate Economist from European Business School.