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The GRI Global Chairmen's Retreat is an internationally renowned annual forum for global real estate decision-makers at the top of the deal-making chain. Due to the concentration of top dealmakers gathered at this event, it has come to be known as a secluded treasure trove of distilled information and free-flowing, and agenda-free conversations.
During the Retreat, this group of real estate professionals takes stock of the global landscape and discusses ‘What next?’.
These conversations take place in organised discussions but also between them in comfortable spaces that allow your friendships with theseexecutives, who are at the top of their game, to blossom.
Schedule
DAY 1 | 4TH NOVEMBER
14:00 - 15:30
ADGM Site Visit + Private Meeting
16:00 - 17:30
Saadiyat Grove Walkthrough
17:30
Saadiyat Beach Club
DAY 2 | 5TH NOVEMBER
09:30 - 10:00
Welcome & Registration
10:00 - 11:00
Opening Talkshow
Beyond Borders - Will Global Capital Find Its Next Safe Haven?
11:00 - 11:40
Networking Break
11:40 - 12:40
Breakout Discussions
Commercial Real Estate - Where Are the Real Opportunities Amid Global Shifts?
Housing Strategies - Can Global Housing Strategies Finally Bridge the Urban Supply Challenges?
12:40 - 14:00
Lunch
14:00 - 15:00
Breakout Discussions
Hotels & Hospitality - How Will the Next Wave of Hotel Deals Redefine Resilience and Growth?
Data Centers - The New Wave Of Global Capital Or Just In The First Step Of A Bigger Digital Transformation?
15:00 - 15:40
Networking Break
15:40 - 16:40
Closing Talkshow
The Quiet Powerhouses - Are Family Offices the Silent Architects of Real Estate’s Next Global Transformation?
16:40 - 17:30
Networking Cocktail
17:30 - 19:30
GRI Global Awards + Cocktail
DAY 3 | 6TH NOVEMBER
7:15 - 8:00
GRI Run
10:00 - 10:30
Welcome & Registration
10:30 - 11:00
Opening Keynote
11:00 - 12:00
Opening Session
12:30 - 13:30
Breakout Discussions
The Dynamics of Capital - How are Global Trends Transforming Real Estate?Asset Class Shake-Up - Who’s Leading, Who’s Lagging in Tomorrow’s Real Estate Markets?
13:30 - 14:30
Networking Lunch
14:30 - 15:30
Breakout Discussions Global Interest Rate Shifts - What’s Next for Real Estate Strategy and Capital?
Equity and Debt - Will Capital Structures Define Real Estate’s Next Triumph?
16:00 - 17:00
Day Conclusions
17:00 - 18:00
Cocktail
DAY 4 | 7TH NOVEMBER
7:30 - 8:00
Welcome & Registration at the Four Seasons
8:00 - 10:00
Bus Ride to Dubai
10:00 - 10:30
Group 1 | Equinix Data Centre Site Visit
Group 2 | Palm Jabel Ali Site Visit
12:00 - 14:00
Private Meeting and Lunch at Emaar Dubai Hills Sales Center
14:30 - 16:30
Iconic Residences design by Pininfarina
16:30 - 18:30
Bus Return to Abu Dhabi
What we do
Plenary sessions
Share your views with other decision makers and vote on your vision for the future of real estate.
Keynotes
Enter an open discussion with an expert on a provocative subject that will affect the world in the coming months and years, economically and socially.
Group discussions
Contribute to conversations on real estate and the world in intimate group discussions that leave room for opinions and understanding the challenges for the market ahead.
Testimonials
GRI Awards Global 2025
GRI Awards Global 2025 5th November, Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi at Al Maryah Island
Maximum recognition for excellence in real estate development and investment.
We are a global financial services group operating in asset management, retail and business banking, wealth management, as well as advisory, and risk and capital solutions across debt, equity, financial markets and commodities.
$8 billion AUM Credit/Real Estate hybrid investing via parallel $-, €-, and £- denominated blind pool closed end private equity funds. CN Capital Partners is a recognized leader in the primary sale-leaseback and build-to-suit markets, where investments and leases are directly originated with corporate users of mission critical real estate.
AZORA is an independent private equity styled asset manager of real assets, based in Spain but investing across Europe and the USA. It currently manages €9.2 bn of AuM (once its various vehicles committed firepower is fully invested) with Hospitality and Living representing c. 70% of this. AZORA has a value-add approach with a strong track record in pioneering new assets classes in Southern Europe and a special expertise in building fully integrated platforms in operational assets classes.
KAUST Investment Management Company, an entity responsible for the investment strategy of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia
We achieve what others consider impossible, delivering strong investment returns with low volatility through alternative strategies in the residential market.
We leverage our proprietary technology and data to structure, build and manage Single-Family-Rental (SFR) portfolios with scale and precision across for institutional partners across Europe.
TPG is a global investment firm that is dedicated to delivering differentiated returns for our investors and their beneficiaries, and we are committed to doing so with integrity. Our investment strategy embraces change, takes on complexity, and creates unique opportunities. Over our more than 30-year history, we have built an ecosystem made up of hundreds of portfolio companies and a value-added network of professionals, executives, and advisors around the world.
Willing to find non-auction and off-market deals, the people of WindMass Capital bring a work ethic and diligence that go above and beyond the average investment firm.
Opera desde hace mas de 20 años. Ha levantado USD $300M en la BMV. Se ha posicionado como líder en el mercado premium con proyectos residenciales, comerciales y de hospitalidad en Mérida, Cancún, Puebla, Tulum y Belice, desarrollado más de 4.8M m2.
Sienna Real Estate is a pan-European investment manager with over 30 years of experience in the European real estate investment and asset management market.
Sienna Real Estate positions itself as a long-term strategic partner for local and international investors, advising and accompanying them throughout the entire investment cycle of a property, from the acquisition, administration of the asset or property, to the sale process.
Blackstone is one of the world’s leading investment firms. We seek to create positive economic impact and long-term value for our investors, the companies in which we invest, and the communities in which we live and work.
Established in 1981 to manage Singapore's foreign reserves, we strive to achieve good long-term real returns on assets under our management to preserve and enhance the value of Singapore's reserves.
ECE Real Estate Partners GmbH develops, realizes, and operates major real estate projects such as residential and office buildings, logistics centers, hotels, and urban districts; invests in their development and enhancement; and thus creates state-of-the-art working and living spaces that inspire people and offer them room to grow. As part of the internationally active real estate and investment company ECE Group, ECE Work & Live has more than 55 years of expertise in developing and operating real estate and offers all its services from a single source – from plot scouting, planning, and project management to leasing, sales, and asset management of the real estate. The ECE Group manages real estate assets with a total value of more than 33 billion euros, has ongoing construction and planning activities with a volume of over 2.8 billion euros, and has been under the ownership of the Otto family since the founding of ECE in 1965.
Alexi Antolovich
Global Co-Head REMacquarie Group
United Kingdom
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.
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.
Managing Director and Co-Portfolio Manager, Oaktree Capital Mr. Bianchi is a managing director and Head of Europe for Oaktree’s Real Estate group. Mr. Bianchi joined Oaktree in 2014 and has been involved in the investment and management of its real estate funds in the United States and Europe throughout his time at the firm. Prior to joining Oaktree, Mr. Bianchi worked for Deutsche Bank AG where he held senior positions in the firm’s London, Hong Kong and New York-based real estate divisions. Before joining Deutsche Bank, Mr. Bianchi was employed by Moore Capital's MSVP Japan where he served as a senior vice president. He began his career as an associate in Goldman Sachs's Archon Group in the U.S. and Asia.
Ben Eppley
Partner and Head of Commercial Real Estate Debt in EuropeApollo Global Management
United Kingdom
Mr. Ben Eppley joined Apollo in 2013. Prior to that time, Mr. Eppley was a member of the Real Estate Structured Finance group at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and prior to that was a member of the Commercial Real Estate Debt Capital Markets group at Barclays Capital. Mr. Eppley graduated from Yale College with a BA in English Language and Literature.
Mr. Colwell is Co-Founder and Managing Partner at LCN Capital Partners, a real estate private equity firm based in New York, London, and Luxembourg, with over $8 billion in AUM, where he jointly oversees all the aspects of the firm's investment activities and operations globally. Previously, Mr. Colwell was a senior corporate finance/M&A executive at Goldman Sachs for 18 years. Mr. Colwell received his M.B.A from Columbia Business and his B.A. in History and Science from Harvard College where he graduated with Honors.
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.
Senior Managing Director - Real EstateKAUST Investment Management Company
USA
David Collett joined KAUST Investment Management Company in 2009 as Managing Director of Real Estate. Prior to that, he was Principal Portfolio Manager for Real Estate at the World Bank Pension Plan, Manager of Private Markets at the CPP Investment Board, a REIT analyst at TD Securities, and started his real estate career in acquisitions, development and asset management at CIBC Development Corporation. At the KAUST Endowment, Mr. Collett is focused on building a global real estate portfolio both on the Direct side through JV platforms or directly through Fund managers.
James Kirimy is the Founder and CEO of DOORFEED, a UK-based technology company specializing in innovative delivery and logistics solutions. With extensive experience in the tech industry, Kirimy has demonstrated exceptional leadership in building scalable platforms that connect businesses with customers through efficient doorstep delivery services. Under his guidance, DOORFEED has emerged as a notable player in the last-mile delivery sector, leveraging cutting-edge technology to streamline operations and enhance customer experience. His entrepreneurial vision focuses on transforming traditional delivery models through digital innovation and strategic partnerships across the United Kingdom market.
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.
Executive Vice President, EuropeOxford Properties Group
United Kingdom
Joanne McNamara is Executive Vice President – Europe of Oxford Properties, a leading global real estate investor, asset manager and business builder. In this role, Jo is responsible for all aspects of Oxford’s business across Europe. Jo is a member of Oxford’s global Executive and Investment Committees, and also a member of OMERS Portfolio Management Committee and OMERS Europe Executive Leadership Team. Jo was one of Oxford’s first team members in London, joining the European investment team in 2010, and over the past decade has contributed to and led many of the organization’s most significant investment and development transactions. Jo was most recently responsible for the operating performance of Oxford’s European business and leadership of the 40+ person European team.
Mr. Voss, Founder and CEO of Windmass, is responsible for the overall management, operations, and strategy of the firm. Mr. Voss is involved in all aspects of the Firm’s investment activities and provides leadership related to the Firm’s investment activities in the commercial real estate sector. He has accumulated over 14 years of experience in commercial real estate across; investment banking, structured finance, asset management, and acquisitions, which led to Mr. Voss launching his own Real Estate Private Equity Firm. Prior to WindMass, Mitchell was a Vice President in Goldman Sachs’ Investment Banking Group, where he focused on origination CMBS, balance sheets, and bridge loans.
Nacido en Mérida. Ingeniero Industrial por el ITESM, así como miembro del IPADE con estudios de AD1 y AD2 y con amplia experiencia académica y profesional en el extranjero. Es Presidente del Consejo y Socio Fundador de Inmobilia Funds, empresa pública listada en la BMV, la cual fue la primera empresa yucateca en emitir CKDs. CEO y Socio Fundador de la empresa de premium real estate Inmobilia. Ha desarrollado mas de 13M m2 con grandes proyectos como Yucatan Country Club, Vía Montejo, SLS Cancun, Country Towers en Mérida, Four Seasons Caye Chapel en Belice, Aldea Zama en Tulum. Socio de proyectos con Related Group y U-Calli. Consejero Nacional Independiente y Presidente del Consejo Regional del Grupo Financiero Banorte para el Sur-Sureste.
Chief Investment OfficerSienna Real Estate Capital
France
Samy is Chief Investment Officer at Sienna Real Estate. He has has over 18 years of experience in M&A and real estate investments. Samy has a Master of Business from HEC Paris. He speaks French, German, English and Arabic.
Sienna Investment Managers is a multi-expertise pan-European asset manager of the publicly traded investment holding company Groupe Bruxelles Lambert (GBL). With a team of roughly 300 professionals, Sienna IM operates in Paris, Luxembourg, London, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Madrid, Amsterdam, and Seoul.
Saul Goldstein
CEOActivum SG Capital
USA
Saul is the Founder and CEO of ActivumSG and chairs the Investment Committee. He has overall responsibility for the vision and strategy of the firm, guiding its growth and development. Under his leadership, ActivumSG has established itself as one of Europe's leading independent real estate investment managers, with active strategies in direct real estate, corporate platforms and special situations with on-the-ground professionals in key markets including the UK, Germany and Spain. The firm has raised more than €2.9 billion of equity and has acquired and developed real estate with an aggregate value of €13 billion since 2007. He is Vice Chair for the Board of Trustees of Interlochen Center for the Arts and serves on the board of advisors for the Zell Lurie Real Estate Center at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. In his spare time he is an avid fly fisherman.
Senior Managing Director and Head of Europe BREDSBlackstone
USA
Steve Plavin is a Senior Managing Director based in London and oversees Blackstone’s Real Estate Debt Strategies business in Europe. Previously, from when he joined Blackstone in 2012 until June 2021, Mr. Plavin was the Chief Executive Officer of Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc., a NYSE- listed commercial mortgage REIT managed by Blackstone. Prior to joining Blackstone, Mr. Plavin served as CEO of Capital Trust, Inc. (predecessor of Blackstone Mortgage Trust) and CT Investment Management Co., LLC, a commercial real estate debt investment manager and rated special servicer that was wholly owned by Capital Trust and acquired by Blackstone in 2012.
Managing Shareholder LBU-Real GroupDIH Deutsche Industrie-Holding
Germany
Dr. Tom-Eric Möller is a managing shareholder in a privately-owned M&A and real estate company and is based in Frankfurt. He is responsible for the investments in the real estate sector of the group and the management of the existing portfolio. Prior to DIH, Dr. Möller was working as Vice President for the Commercial Real Estate Group of Deutsche Bank in London and Frankfurt. Before joining Deutsche Bank he was practicing as senior associate in the law firm Hengeler Mueller in Frankfurt. He holds a law degree from University Hamburg and received a doctorate in law by the University of Hannover.
Managing Director & Region Head EuropeGIC - Government of Singapore Investment Corporati
United Kingdom
As Region Head, Ms. Stroh is responsible for GIC’s real estate equity and debt investment activities across Europe. These real estate assets span multiple property sectors, including traditional office, retail, residential, industrial, hospitality, and newer economic sectors. Ms. Stroh is a voting member of GIC RE’s Global Investment Committee, an active member of the firm’s sustainability committee, and a leader in the Women in GIC Taskforce.
Founding Partner & Managing DirectorOrion Capital Managers
United Kingdom
Van Stults is a Founding Partner of Orion Capital Managers, a pan-European RE private equity investment firm. He has over 30 years of real estate investment management experience. Van, with his partners, created the opportunistic Orion European Real Estate Funds I, II, III, IV and V and the core fund, Orion Income Return Partners, which combined have €15 billion of investment capacity. The Orion Funds target a wide range of RE investments throughout EU. Prior to Orion, Van spent 15 years with LaSalle Partners in the US and EU where he was a Main Board Member and a Managing Director. He is a Global Trustee of the Urban Land Institute and received his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth Graduate School of Business
Managing Partner at ECE Real Estate Partners, Volker sets the firm's strategy. ECE manages €10Bn+ in assets, primarily in European shopping centers and hotels. Before ECE, he was Director at Allianz Capital Partners, involved in management and investment committees. From 2009-15, he served on DDR Corp.'s Board, a US open-air shopping center leader. In 2014, he joined Aliansce Sonae's Board, Brazil's top mall developer & operator, and since 2022, he's on Deutsche EuroShop AG’s Board, Germany's sole public firm investing only in shopping centers. Holds an MBA and a Ph.D. in finance from University of St. Gallen.
Pretium is an alternative investment manager founded in 2012 by Donald R. Mullen, headquartered in New York City. The firm specializes in identifying opportunities in complex investments with high barriers to entry, leveraging operational expertise with data analytics.
Pretium focuses on residential real estate ecosystems, residential credit, corporate and structured credit, and legal opportunities. Key services include single-family rentals, mortgage whole loans, nontraditional mortgage products, corporate credit, and claim-related financing.
With over $57 billion in AUM as of March 2025, Pretium targets investors across U.S. housing, mortgage finance, corporate debt, and legal finance markets. The company operates 44+ global offices with 7,000 employees.
Distinctive features include comprehensive residential and credit ecosystems, disciplined investment approach targeting undervalued niche assets, and high-touch management for complex assets. Recent developments include a strategic partnership with Hunter Point Capital in March 2024.
