GRI Chairmen's Retreat 2027 - Europe

Alexander Knapp is the Global Head of Real Estate at Norges Bank Investment Management, leading the fund's listed and unlisted global real estate investments and strategy implementation from London. Prior to joining NBIM, Knapp spent over 16 years at Hines, a leading global real estate firm. He served as Chief Investment Officer for Europe at Hines since 2019, where he was responsible for all aspects of real estate investment and was a member of their Global Executive and Investment Committees. Knapp holds a Master's Degree in Real Estate Development from MIT and a Bachelor of Architecture from Rice University.

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.

Arvi is Cain’s Chief Investment Officer and a member of the firm’s global investment committee. Working alongside Cain’s co-founder and CEO, Jonathan Goldstein, Arvi helps shape the firm’s global investment strategy, oversees capital allocation, and guides portfolio development with oversight of investments from origination through execution and long-term asset management, capital preservation and value creation. Arvi has more than 20 years of global real estate investment experience across 22 countries, having acquired and overseen more than $10 billion of assets in a variety of sectors including living, hospitality, retail, office, life sciences, and industrial & logistics. He joined Cain following its 2024 merger with Blackbrook Capital (Blackbrook), the specialist real estate investment manager he co-founded with more than €1 billion of committed capital. As Chief Executive Officer he successfully expanded Blackbrook across nine countries with both income-driven and development-led strategies.

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.

Ben Eppley is a partner at Apollo Global Management and head of its commercial real estate credit business in Europe. He is primarily responsible for originating, structuring, and asset managing performing CRE debt investments in senior and mezzanine loans, structured credit, and preferred equity. Ben also oversees sourcing and arranging financings for Apollo’s real estate equity strategies in Europe. Prior to joining Apollo in 2013, Ben worked at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Barclays Capital, and Eastdil Secured. Ben graduated with a BA in English from Yale University.

Brad Hyler is a Managing Partner in Brookfield’s Property Group, responsible for originating and executing European real estate investments. Mr. Hyler joined Brookfield in 2011 in New York and relocated to London in 2015.  Since joining, he has been heavily involved in a number of significant M&A transactions including the acquisitions of Verde, IDI, Gazeley and Rose.  He has also been instrumental in the creation of BSREP’s logistics and UK student housing operating platforms and overseeing significant growth of both portfolios.  Prior to joining Brookfield, Mr. Hyler held various positions at O’Connor Capital Partners and Jones Lang Lasalle. Mr. Hyler holds a BA in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Cherine Aboulzelof is Managing Partner & Global Co-Head for BGO Strategic Capital Partners ("BGO SCP") and sits on its global investment committee. BGO SCP provides strategic capital by way of asset and portfolio recapitalisations, structured transactions, co investments trhrough its discretionary co-mingled vehicles, and fund investments for managed accounts. Prior to joining BGO SCP platform in 2017, she has been responsible for Europe investments with two different real estate investment managers, investing across a number of real estate sectors in Europe between 2005 and 2017. She started her career in investment banking with Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley. She holds an M.B.A from INSEAD and a graduate degree from EM Lyon. She is a French, British and Lebanese citizen. Cherine serves as a Non Executive Director on the board Urban Logistics REIT.

Christopher Garbe is the CEO and Managing Partner of GARBE, one of Europe’s leading privately owned real estate investment and development platforms, with approximately €15 billion in assets under management & development. Since joining GARBE as CEO and Managing Partner in 2010, he has led the company’s international expansion and strategic evolution. In 2024, he introduced GARBE’s “Sheds, Beds & Infrastructure” strategy, broadening the platform beyond its market-leading logistics business into residential real estate, data centres, food-anchored retail, and renewable energy infrastructure. He has also established long-term partnerships with many of the world’s leading institutional investors. Christopher holds a degree in Economics and Business Administration from the University of Hamburg, an MBA in International Management and Marketing from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), and is a participant in the Owner/President Management (OPM) Program at Harvard Business School.

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.

Ed Aldag launched Medical Properties Trust in 2003 as the world’s only real estate investment trust focusing exclusively on hospitals. Today, company assets have grown to nearly $25 billion and the number of hospital beds owned is more than 46,000. A business and finance graduate of the University of Alabama, Ed serves on the board of Children’s of Alabama, one of the nation’s leading hospitals for children, and as a director and member of the investment committee of the Alabama Children’s Hospital Foundation. He also serves as a board member of Mitchell's Place, the Birmingham Education Foundation and the American Sports Medicine Institute, and as an executive committee member of the Birmingham Business Alliance.

Mr. Passanisi is a Partner and Head of European Real Estate at Sixth Street based in London. He sits on the firm’s Inclusion and Diversity Committee. Prior to joining Sixth Street in 2013, Mr. Passanisi was a Vice President of Goldman Sachs, investing in real estate and distressed loan. Mr. Passanisi holds a B.B.A. from Universita degli sudi di Bologna, Italy.

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.

Josh Cleveland is a Partner at StepStone Group and is Head of EMEA for the real estate team. He is also involved in various investment and portfolio management activities. Prior to joining StepStone in 2014, Josh was a Partner at Clairvue Capital Partners, a real estate investment manager that integrated with StepStone to establish StepStone Real Estate. At Clairvue, Josh focused on originating and executing investments in the US and Europe. Before Clairvue, he was a Director at Liquid Realty Partners, an investment manager focused on real estate private equity secondaries. He has also served as a Vice President at Capital Dynamics, a Swiss-based private equity manager, and worked in the debt capital markets divisions of Credit Suisse First Boston and Bank of America. He holds a BA from the University of South Carolina.

Krysto Nikolic is a Senior Managing Director and Global Head of Real Estate at ICG. He is a member of ICG’s Management Committee. Prior to joining ICG, he was Head of European Real Estate at Starwood Capital Group, where he served on its Global Investment and Operating Committees. Previously, Krysto was a Partner at TPG and started his career at Goldman Sachs International. Krysto has led over $14 billion of real estate acquisitions and served on the Board of Directors of multiple portfolio companies and real estate platforms. He holds an MA from Cambridge University.

Lars von Lackum joined LEG Immobilien AG as Chief Digital Officer January 1, 2019 and took over as Chief Executive Officer of the Group on June 1, 2019. He was previously with ERGO Group, Munich RE‘s primary insurance operations, as Chief Executive Officer for the Global LPI activities. Before that, Lars was Deputy CEO and CFO of Corpus Sireo Group and responsible for all private equity clients of the firm. Lars is a graduate of the university of Cologne, is a German Tax Consultant and holds an US CPA.

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.

Michael is Global Head of Real Estate at Santander Alternative Investments and Chief Executive Officer of Deva Capital, the real estate and corporate special situations arm of Santander Alternative Investments. In these roles, he oversees global investment strategy, capital deployment, and platform growth across real estate and corporate credit. Michael has over 25 years' experience, previously holding senior real estate roles at Blackstone and LaSalle, and investment roles at Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch.

Michiel Celis is a Partner & Co-Head of Europe for TPG Real Estate. He is based in London and oversees TPG’s industrial and datacenter investments across Europe. Mr. Celis is a Belgian national and speaks Dutch and English. He currently serves on the Boards of Directors of Intervest and 4th Industrial. Mr. Celis was also responsible for TPG’s previous investments in Contera, Icon Industrial, Arlington and P3 Logistic Parks.

Nikoletta heads investments, across asset classes, for Latsco Family Office, based in Geneva, Switzerland. LFO is a single family office, which serves the family of Marianna Latsis (Greek shipping family) with offices in Switzerland, UK and Greece. LFO principals hold interests in Real Estate, Shipping, Energy, Infrastructure, Technology and Entertainment. LFO invests both in direct property assets, as well as real estate funds and property companies. It is a reference shareholder of GEK TERNA and DIMAND, both listed on the Athens stock exchange. Nikoletta holds a BSc in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science and a MSc in Operations Research from MIT and an MBA from Harvard Business School. She has lived and worked internationally.

Mr. Bashir joined the firm in 2020 and is Chief Executive Officer of Europe. In this role Mr. Bashir leads the expansion of Harrison Street’s European strategies and he is also responsible for overseeing and growing the firm’s team of professionals across the U.K. and Europe. Mr. Bashir brings over 20 years of experience in private equity real estate, operations and corporate finance to Harrison Street. Prior to joining Harrison Street, Mr. Bashir was most recently President and Chief Operating Officer at Round Hill Capital, a real estate investment and asset management firm with a global footprint. While at Round Hill Capital, he managed a business with an $8+ billion portfolio as well as a team of 260 people across 15 offices.

Riccardo is MD and Head of H.I.G. Realty Partners in Europe. He is responsible for investment origination, transaction structuring and oversight of the European portfolio. With over 20 years in the real estate industry, Riccardo has extensive investment and transactional experience across a number of jurisdictions in Europe. Prior to H.I.G., he was at AXA RE, where he was Head of Alternatives and Special Situations; he also held the position of Head of Transaction Europe and Head of Asset Management and Transactions in France. Prior to AXA RE, he worked at Grove International Partners, and before that in the JPMorgan Partners Real Estate Group. He holds an MSC in Finance from Bocconi University and studied at The Wharton School of Business.

Sindo Oliveros is the CEO and CIO of the financial endowment for King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), an international graduate-level research university in Saudi Arabia which started operations in 2009. Prior to that he managed the World Bank’s Pension Plan, Medical Plan and Endowments,  headed the World Bank’s Capital Markets and Financial Engineering Department and worked at the International Monetary Fund on adjustment programs in Latin America, Asia and Africa. He is a graduate from Universidad Complutense (Madrid) and a PhD from the University of Minnesota. Over the years he has served in various Boards including: the Rockefeller Foundation Investment Committee, the United Nations Pension Plan Investment Committee, the Investment Fund For Foundations (TIFF), Sequoia Heritage Fund, the Public Welfare Foundation, and the MSCI Advisory Council. He continues to be an active member in several of them.

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.

Ulf Pleschiutschnig serves as Managing Director and Co-Head Europe Investments at Morgan Stanley Real Estate Investing (MSREI) in the UK. He brings extensive expertise in European real estate markets and investment strategies. Based in London, Pleschiutschnig leads MSREI's European investment activities, overseeing portfolio management and strategic acquisitions across diverse real estate sectors. His role encompasses identifying investment opportunities, managing client relationships, and driving growth initiatives throughout European markets. With deep knowledge of institutional real estate investing, he plays a pivotal role in Morgan Stanley's global real estate investment platform, contributing to the firm's leadership position in international real estate capital markets.

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.

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.

Since joining the Firm in 2006, Mr. Dejanovic has been instrumental in establishing Cerberus as a leading real estate investor in Europe and played a central role in Cerberus becoming one of the largest private residential landlords in Germany. In addition, Mr. Dejanovic leads Cerberus’ non performing loan platform in Europe, where the Firm has been a leading purchaser of non-performing loan portfolios since 2013. Mr. Dejanovic has overseen Cerberus’ non-performing loan activities in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and Scandinavia, among other jurisdictions.

Prior to joining Mohari, Fabio ran Bain Capital Special Situations and Real Estate division in Europe – a $20bn AuM business that he built since joining the firm in 2013. Further, as part of the senior leadership, his responsibilities covered the US, EMEA, and Asia, with a focus on activities such as Commercial Real Estate, ABS, Illiquid Credit, Special Situations and Principal Distressed. Prior to Bain Capital, Fabio was a Principal in the European Principal Finance Fund at Apollo, where he played a pivotal role in identifying and executing high-impact investment opportunities. Fabio began his career in the Investment Banking group at Goldman Sachs. Fabio holds a M.Eng. from the University of Cambridge and the MIT.

Gábor Futó is a mathematician turned investor and real estate entrepreneur. He co-founded Futureal real estate group two decades ago. Under his leadership, the group has become one of the leading real estate developer/investors in Europe with 200+ projects on over 40 million sqf of new developments. Gabor Futo is also the founder and majority owner of Cordia group, a residential developer and investor active in 6 countries, the Helloparks logistcs platform and Finext Capital, his family office. A previous gold medalist of the International Mathematical Olympiad, Gábor received his MSc in Mathematics from Eötvös Loránd University, his MBA from London Business School and has been visiting fellow at Harvard University.

Jim Blakemore is a Managing Partner and the Global Head of Debt at BGO. In his role as a member of BGO's global management team, Jim leads the firm’s global real estate debt strategies, managing approximately $16 billion of commercial mortgage loan assets across the globe. Jim founded BGO's European debt team which has invested over $6 billion of capital from institutional investors and is an active lender on commercial real estate properties located in the UK and across Western Europe.

55 years, married 2 sons From 2002 - 2017 Square Asset Management - Partner; 1,5 Billion under management in all sectors for retail and institutional clients : Managing the highest Portuguese performance balanced portfolio over the last 8 years in a row according to MSCI/IPD; from 1990 - 2000 ESAF Espírito Santo Activos Financeiros SGPS - Real Estate Managing Director Investments: Portugal, Brazil, Russia.

Robert Balick is a Managing Partner with BauMont Real Estate Capital and is the Chairman of the firm’s Investment Committee. He is responsible for management, strategy and the capital formation at BauMont. His roles also include the sourcing of investments and challenging investment assumptions from the early stages of underwriting. Prior to co-founding BauMont, Mr. Balick was a senior managing director for CarVal Investors based in London where he led the firm’s real estate investment activities in Europe.

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.

Distinguished entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience in real estate, Christo is the Founder and Chairman of AG Capital, a prominent residential and commercial property investor, and asset manager in Central and Eastern Europe. Under Christo's leadership, AG Capital has earned a reputation as a trusted and innovative multi-asset class real estate investment and management group of companies with AUM of EUR 750M. In addition to his role at AG Capital, Christo actively contributes to the professional community as a member of reputable organizations, including the YPO and the Harvard Business School Alumni network.

Dirk Brandes is Member of the Executive Board and Head of Real Estate Finance at NATIXIS Pfandbriefbank AG based in Frankfurt am Main. The Bank combines the special abilities of a Pfandbrief bank with the commercial business resources of Natixis S.A., the corporate and investment bank of Groupe BPCE. The main markets are Germany, France, Italy, Spain and United States. Prior to joining NATIXIS in 2016, Dirk Brandes was Head of Business Origination at HSH Nordbank AG, Hamburg. Previously, he was Head of Commercial Real Estate at DG HYP, Hamburg.

Under Raj Menda's visionary leadership, RMZ has become a global leader in alternative asset ownership, strategically investing in high-growth opportunities that foster a sustainable global economy. Raj was the first Indian to serve on the jury of the Urban Land Institute’s Awards for Excellence and currently chairs FICCI's 2026 Committee on Urban Development & Real Estate. His contributions to shaping urban landscapes are both pioneering and unparalleled. Raj’s stewardship drives RMZ’s focus on sustainability and innovation, positioning it as a pioneer in emerging sectors. By leveraging strategic partnerships and advanced business acumen, he ensures RMZ delivers exceptional returns while shaping India's economic landscape with a global outlook.