America Forum

Dr. Michael Abel is a private equity investor with over 20 years of experience, specialised in buying and building leading real estate companies across asset classes in Europe. He is the Founder & CEO of GREYKITE, an independent European investment firm established in 2023 and headquartered in London. He oversees GREYKITE’s strategy, capital formation, and investment business, and serves as Chairman of the Executive and Investment Committees.

Prior to founding GREYKITE, Michael was an Equity Partner at TPG, a leading global investment firm with ca. $239 billion of assets under management. During his decade at TPG, he helped establish TPG Real Estate’s efforts in Europe and was a member of TPG Europe’s Executive Committee and TPG Real Estate’s Investment Committee.

He served as Chairman / Board Member of several portfolio companies across multiple sectors and is a Co-Founder of the stART Foundation. He holds a PhD in Management Sciences from ESCP Business School and speaks 5 languages.

With Generali since 2005, Alberto Agazzi currently serves as Head of Generali Real Estate International, overseeing the real estate investment and portfolio management activities in the USA, UK and APAC markets.

Prior to this role, he served for nine years as CEO and General Manager at Generali Real Estate SGR, managing the Pan European fund management activities with an AUM in excess of 15 bln euro.

Alberto joined Generali from Mediobanca, where he worked in the Real Estate Advisory team. He began his career in Milan with an engineering company as Project Manager.

A profound expert in the international real estate markets, over the years he served on the Board of Directors of several real estate private companies. He received an undergraduate degree in Building Engineering from Politecnico di Milano and an MBA from SDA Bocconi.

Alberto is Deputy Chairman of Assoimmobiliare, the Italian real estate association, and he is serving as a member of the Management Board at INREV.

Emily Goergen Azer is a Director of GI Partners, where she focuses on investments in the data infrastructure sector. She currently serves on the board of Rise Broadband and previously served on the board of DR Fortress. Prior to joining GI Partners, Mrs. Azer was a Vice President at Stonepeak Partners in New York where she focused on infrastructure investments in the digital infrastructure sector. Earlier in her career, Emily worked in the North America Private Equity and Global Infrastructure groups at KKR in New York and was an investment banking analyst with the Blackstone Group in New York.  Emily graduated with an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a B.S. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Jonathan Brasse is the senior editor for PEI Media’s Real Estate Group which comprises the group's real estate publications, PERE and Real Estate Capital. Jonathan leads the group’s editorial team and is responsible for setting the agendas for the print and online editions of both publications as well as all associated publications. He joined PEI in 2009 and has assumed various reporting and editing roles since, including responsibility for PERE’s coverage of the private real estate markets in Asia. He has a BA from the University of Kent and is an NCTJ qualified journalist.

Chad Buchanan is the Founder and Managing Partner of Twin Light Capital, where he oversees the firm’s investment activities and strategic objectives. Twin Light Capital is a US-based investment management firm specializing exclusively in the senior housing and elderly care property sectors.

The firm partners with institutional and private investors through managed accounts and joint ventures, providing customized investment structures that align with diverse strategic objectives. Since its founding in 2019, Twin Light has built a proven track record of delivering superior risk-adjusted returns, even amidst challenges such as the global pandemic.

Under Buchanan’s leadership, the firm identifies and capitalizes on high-potential opportunities across the senior housing landscape by leveraging its extensive industry expertise, data-driven insights, and a robust network of relationships.

Nicole Byrns is an accomplished asset-backed finance investor with 20+ year track record of private investing and financing experience at funds and financial institutions. Ms Byrns is currently a senior advisor to funds considering launching a structured finance strategy and to specialty finance companies looking to optimize their capital structure. Previously, Ms Byrns was Managing Director at Canada’s largest pension plan, CPP Investments (CPPIB). She was a senior leader in CPPIB’s Capital Solutions Group where she focused on developing and growing the fund’s private structured credit platform. She managed $3.5bn credit portfolio that focused on asset-backed lending, specialty finance, renewables, CLOs and fintech sectors. She also led the division’s financing practices that oversaw a $47bn leverage portfolio. She was a member of the Real Assets Credit, Capital Solutions and Leveraged Finance Investment Committees.

Prior to CPP Investments, Ms. Byrns was at Deutsche Bank’s Global Credit Trading group where she developed innovative financing solutions for her clients in the fintech, aviation, mortgage and esoteric industries. Previously, she was at Garrison Investment Group and Citi where she was responsible for originating and executing asset-based financings and whole loan purchase programs.

Ms. Byrns is a distinguished writer, contributor, and conference speaker, known for her engagements at industry-leading events such as the Kayo Women’s Group and ABS East. She regularly publishes insightful articles for "Credit Check," a forum dedicated to discussing trends in the asset-based finance industry. A strong advocate for women's advancement in financial services, Ms. Byrns frequently contributes to "Balancing the Books," where she explores themes affecting women in private credit. Additionally, she has collaborated with the Structured Finance Association on various research publications and is an editorial board member for SFA’s Structured Finance Journal.

Ms Byrns received a BA from Wellesley College and an MA from the Fletcher School at Tufts University. She also studied at L’Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po) as a Rotary Scholar. She serves on the board of Jacob Riis Neighborhood Settlement.

Sheelam is the founder of Dry Capital and specializes in real estate M＆A and strategic recapitalisation, with a focus on unlocking long-term value through innovative GP-led investment strategies and structured solutions. With nearly two decades of experience in real estate transactions, Sheelam has developed a strong understanding of market cycles, asset transformation, and the power of secondaries in building sustainable investment platforms in Western Europe.

Navid Chamdia is responsible for international real estate investments at Qatar Investment Authority focusing primarily on direct acquisitions and co-investments in Europe, USA and Asia.

Prior to joining QIA in 2005, Navid spent 12 years at Ernst & Young Project Finance (London) advising on the financing and delivery of real estate and infrastructure projects.

Navid is a qualified Chartered Accountant (ACA) and a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants from England and Wales. Navid is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charter holder. Navid graduated from University College London with a first class honors degree in Economics.

Navid is responsible for managing the QIA international real estate portfolio. Key investments of the portfolio include a significant stake in Canary Wharf Group, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur REIT, co-investment in the Manhattan West project in New York, significant stake in the Empire State Realty trust in USA, Porta Nuova project in Milan and various other assets across Europe, Asia, Latin America and North America.
The real estate group mandate is to propose and implement the investing strategy for the State of Qatar's financial reserves, and diversify Qatar's economic base and increase public sources of income by building a portfolio of world-class assets in prime cities across the globe.

Stephany Chen is a Senior Vice President of Acquisitions at Trinity Investments. She is responsible for overseeing the identification and execution of acquisition opportunities and supporting the firm’s business development initiatives.

With 15 years of experience in the hospitality real estate sector, Stephany has played an instrumental role in nearly $5 billion of global transactions.

Prior to Trinity, Stephany was the U.S. lead for the Global Hotels Desk for JLL’s Hotels and Hospitality Group. She also worked at Burba Hotel Network (BHN).

Stephany graduated with a bachelor’s degree from The School of Hospitality Business at Michigan State University where she specialized in real estate.

Ms. Cohen joins from Monroe Capital LLC, where she was the Global Head of Institutional Partnerships, responsible for fostering key partnerships and driving growth initiatives. Before her tenure at Monroe Capital, she held top leadership positions at Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (USA) (“MUFG”), including Chief Investment Strategy Officer. At MUFG, Ms. Cohen was responsible for advising, directing, and governing the strategic alternatives investment portfolio, as well as playing a strategic role in the Firm's ESG and DEI initiatives.

Additionally, Ms. Cohen has held senior investment banking and trusted advisor roles at J.P. Morgan, UBS Investment Bank, and Credit Suisse First Boston, where she honed her abilities in corporate strategy, mergers and acquisitions, and client relations.

Harrison Connery is a senior reporter at PERE, where he covers capital raising and placement. Prior to joining PERE, he worked as a residential real estate reporter at The Real Deal, where he covered the business of residential real estate brokerages and New York City’s luxury market. He got his start in journalism covering business at the Republican-American newspaper in Waterbury, Connecticut, where he also got paid to watch his favorite band, U2, in concert. Harrison graduated from Columbia University in 2022 with a master’s degree in data journalism.

Alexandra “Ali” Cooley is an entrepreneur focused on financial innovations to scale the adoption of clean energy. Ali co-founded Greenworks Lending in 2015 and has served as CIO, COO, and CFO from its inception through its acquisition by Nuveen in April 2021, where it was rebranded to Nuveen Green Capital. Ali has overseen the organization’s exceptional growth from lending in one to over 40 states, from 0 to nearly 600 individual assets, from two to over 80 professionals, and raised over $3 billion in assets under management.

Prior to co-founding Greenworks, Ali oversaw and managed the development of over $100 million in innovative financial products to deploy clean energy by leveraging private capital at the Connecticut Green Bank, the nation’s first green bank.

Ali has received numerous awards for her entrepreneurship and for her work scaling C-PACE from a small handful of state-level programs to an institutional asset class. In 2024, Ali was named a “Notable Leader in Finance” by Crain’s New York, as well as a GlobeSt. “Woman of Influence” in the Finance category. In addition, she received the prestigious Pensions and Investments “Influential Women in Institutional Investing” award. She was also named a “One to Watch” in the NYREJ (New York Real Estate Journal) 2023 Leader Spotlight. Additionally, Ali and Nuveen Green Capital co-founder, Jessica Bailey, were jointly recognized for “CRE’s Best Bosses” by GlobeSt. in 2023, as well as “50 Most Important Figures of Commercial Real Estate Finance” by Commercial Observer in 2022, 2024 and 2025. Ali was named to CRE Finance Council’s “20 Under 40” in 2022. In 2021, as CIO, Ali oversaw Nuveen Green Capital’s first 144A bond issuance (CPACE 2021-1), which was awarded GlobalCapital’s Esoteric ABS Deal of the Year.

Ali graduated with a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA/MEM from Yale University. She currently serves on the advisory board of the Center for Business and Environment at Yale.

Greg Dool is an editor at PERE responsible for the publication's coverage of American private real estate markets as well as its weekly, subscriber-exclusive Blueprint digest. He was previously an editor at The Real Deal, where he ran the outlet's commercial real estate beat and managed its monthly print magazine, among other duties. Prior to The Real Deal, he spent five years as a senior editor at Folio: magazine, a media industry trade journal, and has worked as a freelance writer and consultant specializing in business journalism and branded content. He holds a bachelor's degree in English from Villanova University.

Laurel Durkay joined Morgan Stanley in 2020 and has 23 years of investment experience. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley Real Estate Investing as the Chief Investment Officer for the US core real estate strategy,
she was the Head of Global Listed Real Assets within Morgan Stanley Investment Management (MSIM) and the lead Portfolio Manager for U.S. and Global listed real estate strategies. Before joining MSIM, Ms. Durkay was a Senior Vice President and Global Portfolio Manager for Listed Real Estate at Cohen & Steers Capital Management for 14 years. Previously, Ms. Durkay held several positions at Citigroup, focused on asset allocation and manager selection within the alternatives space of the Corporate Pension Plan, and worked at Arthur Andersen as a valuation analyst. She has a BS from Tulane University and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. Ms. Durkay is an active participant and member of the CFA Institute, the New York Society of Securities Analysts, the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (Nareit) and the Real Estate Roundtable. Ms. Durkay was an appointed member of the Nareit Advisory Board of Governors, Nareit Real Estate Investment Advisory Council and the FTSE EPRA Nareit Americas Regional Advisory Committee.

Michael Felman is President and CEO of MSF Capital Advisors, a global multi-family office. Besides his own family office, his firm advises other family offices and a select group of high net worth individuals. Mr. Felman began his investment career as an Angel Investor. He invested in real estate, film projects, technology companies and a restaurant. Mr. Felman received his B.A from Clark University and J.D. from Pace University. Winner of Acquisition International 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 Global Multi-Family Office award. Winner of Wealth & Finance International 2014, 2020,2021 Global Multi-Family Office Award. Winner of Corporate Live Wire 2020 Investment Advisory Firm of the Year. A member of the NYU Stern Family Office Council. Advisory Board member of Family Office Association. He is a frequent speaker at family office, hedge fund and emerging markets conferences.

Heather Fernstrom is a versatile, performance-driven entrepreneur, philanthropist, co-founder and speaker leading the way in the real asset private equity space through her deep Limited Partner and Consultant networks. Her diverse experience helps create new investment products, best-in-class marketing materials and elevated corporate governance, along with defining capital formation goals and objectives for investment managers looking to differentiate themselves amongst their peers.

Prior to Alliance, Heather was Managing Director for National Real Estate Advisors and held positions with Hunt Investment Management and The Townsend Group. At those firms, she was responsible for assisting institutional clients in developing investment objectives, strategic planning, underwriting investments and capital raising. Heather’s professional experience also includes twenty years within the private and public real estate sector, where she developed, implemented and led Investor Relations platforms. Heather speaks on various industry panels, including PREA, IREI, PERE, RELPI and Markets Group, among others.

She is an Advisory Board member of Outsourced Research & Capital, and serves on PREA’s Governance Committee and Elion Partners’ Independent Advisory Board. In 2022, Heather received the GlobeSt. Women of Influence Award and the GlobeSt. Real Estate Forum’s 50 under 40 award. In 2024, Heather received the Connect CRE – Women in Real Estate Award and Inc. Magazine named her one of the most empowering women in business.

As a current Board Member of Wellfit Girls, Heather is passionate about mentoring the next generation of female leaders. She is also active on several committees within the American Heart Association, to which she has dedicated hundreds of volunteering hours in tribute to her late brother, Kyle Fernstrom.

Heather earned two Master of Science degrees, one in Finance and the other in Real Estate and Construction Management, graduating Magna Cum Laude from the University of Denver. She earned a dual Bachelor of Science degree from Western State College in Accounting and Business Administration while playing collegiate volleyball.

Heather lives in her hometown, Naples, FL, with her three children, Jackson, Harrison and Madelyn. Heather enjoys all outdoor activities in her “free” time, including kiteboarding, diving and hiking.

Alliance Global Advisors

Alliance Global Advisors is a women-owned consulting firm focused on developing strategic growth solutions for real asset investment managers. Advising Clients with over $450 billion in assets under management, Alliance partners with organizations to provide an informed, independent perspective, continued education and an innovative approach to attracting capital in a competitive market environment. Our experienced team is committed to empowering the real asset investment community to elevate best practices. Our partnerships allow senior management teams to focus on what matters most: diligently managing Investor capital, creating value and delivering exceptional returns in a performance-driven market.

Marie Ffolkes joined GenNx360 Capital Partners as Managing Partner in 2023, where she is involved in all aspects of the investment process including sourcing, due diligence and execution of post-closing growth and operating initiatives. Prior to GenNx360 Marie founded and led a SaaS startup, Axxelist, Inc., (a Techstars company).

Previously, she served as Chief Executive Officer and Board member of TriMark USA, a $2.4B PE sponsored company (Blackstone and Centerbridge). Prior, Ms. Ffolkes spent five years as President Americas, Air Products & Chemicals, and held executive and senior management positions at Tenneco, Johnson Controls International plc, GE Healthcare and GE Capital over 22+ years.

Ms. Ffolkes holds an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School. and a B.S. from the City University of New York.  

She serves on the Boards of Valero Energy Corporation and Masco Corporation. She chairs the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and serves on the Compensation and Sustainability Committee and has served on the Audit Committee for 4+ years.

Mr. Giller is a Partner and Head of StepStone Real Estate, where he leads StepStone’s global real estate investment and advisory activities and chairs the real estate investment committees.

Prior to StepStone, Mr. Giller was Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer of Clairvue Capital Partners, a real estate investment manager that integrated with StepStone to establish StepStone Real Estate in 2014. Before that, he was a Managing Principal and Chief Investment Officer of Liquid Realty Partners, an investment manager focused on real estate secondaries. Mr. Giller has also held senior positions at other real estate private equity investment firms in the US and Europe, focusing on investing in direct assets and distressed debt. Mr. Giller serves as a Director on the boards of the Pension Real Estate Association (PREA) and the National Association of Real Estate Investment Managers (NAREIM).

Mr. Giller earned an AB from the University of California, Berkeley and an MBA from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.

Mr. Guichard joined Oaktree in 2007.  He is a managing director and co-portfolio manager for Oaktree’s Real Estate Debt and Structured Credit strategies.  In addition to his strategy management responsibilities, Mr. Guichard is responsible for investing capital for Oaktree’s Real Estate Debt, Real Estate Income, Real Estate Opportunities, Structured Credit and Global Credit strategies.  Prior to Oaktree, he worked for Barrow Street Capital which, he joined in 2005.  Mr. Guichard began his career in Merrill Lynch & Co.’s Real Estate Investment Banking group.  He received a B.A. degree from University of California, Los Angeles, where he was an Alumni Scholar, and an M.B.A. from MIT’s Sloan School of Management.

Rose Hasham is an institutional advisor specializing in off-market acquisitions, capital structuring, and complex exits across hospitality, land, and multifamily. As Head of Investments and Brokerage at Axe Commercial Real Estate, she partners with sovereign wealth funds, global family offices, and private equity sponsors to architect bespoke investment strategies and execute high-conviction transactions across U.S. markets. With over a decade of direct hotel ownership experience, Rose brings principal-level insight to complex hospitality transactions.

She serves on the Board of the Harvard Business School Club of Dallas, where she leads the Real Estate Special Interest Group—an active alumni platform focused on market intelligence, strategic dialogue, and peer-to-peer learning among senior leaders across the capital stack. Rose also serves on the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council, contributing to global thought leadership on strategy and management.

Rose earned her Master’s Degree in Business Management from Harvard University and holds a Bachelor of Science, Cum Laude, from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Recognized as one of 2024 Women Leading Real Estate in Finance and named a Top CRE Influencer by the CREi Summit, Rose is known for her discretion, execution speed, and ability to unlock value in opaque and distressed markets. She is a member of NAREIT, AAREP, and NTCAR.

Ali is a Managing Partner at Arna, a private capital and sustainability advisory group, primarily focused on direct investments and fund strategy. She combines her unique experiences as a former sustainability investor, Fortune 500 operator and investment advisor to provide growth and capital raising strategy to sustainability technology companies and private asset managers.
Previously at PJT Partners, Ali advised alternative asset managers on fund formation and ESG strategies and strategy for impact capital raising. Ali also previously directed Sustainability and ESG for TPG where she developed an integrated, value-centric ESG approach across the investment cycle. During her time, she led ESG-related business building with over 200 portfolio companies, many from pre-investment to successful exit.
Ali spent her early career as an operator, leading sustainability strategies and advising companies like Apple, McDonalds, Bank of America and The Gates Foundation.

Inna Khidekel, CFA, is a Senior Managing Director and Co-Head of the Client Solutions Group at Bridge Investment Group and member of the Firm's Leadership Team. Inna serves on the Investment Committees of Bridge Workforce & Affordable Housing, Bridge Renewable Energy, Bridge Office, and Bridge-Newbury Partners Secondaries. She chairs Bridge Gives and the Bridge to Opportunity initiatives as well as the Bridge Women’s Network Leadership Exchange to advance newly promoted senior women and serves on the Bridge Sustainability & Responsibility Committee. Inna serves as Co-Chair of the PREA Alternative Real Estate Affinity Group and initiated Bridge’s partnership with the PREA Foundation and TOIGO, to support diverse leadership in finance.

Since joining Nrep in 2012, Rune has been focusing on the sourcing and execution of real estate transactions and asset management across each of Nrep’s investment strategies in the Nordics as well as being part of the Investment Committee. Rune became CEO of Nrep in 2022. Additionally, he has the overall responsibility as Fund Manager for Nrep’s two residential focused funds, Nrep Development Fund 1 and Nrep Copenhagen Residential Fund.

Prior to joining Nrep, Rune was Head of Investments at ATP Real Estate, the property investment division of ATP, the largest pension scheme in Denmark and one of the largest in Europe. Prior to this, he spent nine years with Catella Corporate Finance, most recently as a Director with responsibility for transactions within the Danish real estate market. Whilst at Catella, he executed transactions with an aggregate value of over €1.8 billion across all property market segments.

Rune holds an M.Sc. in Economics from the Copenhagen Business School, Denmark, and the MRICS certification from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

As Head of Nordic Investments at Velo Capital, Lesley is responsible for investment strategy, transaction origination and execution in the Nordics. Lesley joined Velo Capital in 2022 and is a member of Velo Capital's Investment Committee and part of the Velo Capital leadership group. Lesley also co-leads the Urban Partners Swedish organization.

Lesley has more than 20 years experience in real estate principal investing and investment banking. During her career, she has completed c. €2.4bn of senior, mezzanine and equity investments across a wide range asset classes in the Nordics and the UK. Prior to joining Velo Capital, Lesley served as Head of Nordic Lending at BGO, Director of Financing & Fund Management at AREIM and Director within the principal real estate investment team at Lehman Brothers. Earlier in her career, Lesley also worked in the investment banking division of Credit Suisse where she primarily focused on mergers & acquisitions in the energy sector.

Lesley holds a BA from Wellesley College and an MBA from Columbia Business School

Ms. Lashine is the Founder and CEO of Park Madison Partners, where she leads the Executive Committee and all aspects of the firm’s activities. She is responsible for setting strategic direction, driving new business opportunities and overseeing client management.

Ms. Lashine has over 35 years of real estate and investment marketing experience. Prior to forming Park Madison Partners, Ms. Lashine was a strategic consultant advising leading institutional real estate investment managers on marketing initiatives. Ms. Lashine was an early member of the real estate private equity firm, The O'Connor Group, and began her finance career as an investment banker at LF Rothschild, Unterberg and Towbin.

Ms. Lashine earned her MBA at Columbia University Graduate School of Business, and a BFA, cum laude, from Case Western Reserve in Dance Theatre. She serves on several Boards including Kimco Realty, Global Trustees of ULI, Columbia MBA Real Estate Advisory Board, and is a past board member of the Pension Real Estate Association. She lives in New York and is an avid dance enthusiast.

Tamara Lawson joined QuadReal as Chief Financial Officer in September 2018. In her role, Tamara provides leadership to the finance team with a focus on business planning, data analytics, reporting, accounting, risk management and treasury and capital markets.

Tamara has accumulated considerable senior management experience in the areas of financial reporting, planning and analysis, corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions and capital markets. Her real estate experience includes both domestic and international markets for public and private enterprises across all asset classes, where she worked on complicated transactions and structures to create value for stakeholders. Prior to joining QuadReal, Tamara was the Chief Financial Officer of Dream Global REIT, Starlight Investments and Westmont Hospitality Group/InnVest REIT.

Tamara currently sits on the board of the audit, investment and governance committees of American Hotel Income Properties REIT. She holds a Master of Business Administration Degree from the Schulich School of Business at York University and is a Chartered Professional Accountant and Fellow (FCPA).

Evelyn Lee is Editor for PEI Group’s real estate-focused publication, PERE, overseeing global news coverage for both its digital and print platforms. Based in London, she manages a team of journalists across PEI’s offices in New York, London and Hong Kong. She joined the company in its New York office in July 2011 as a reporter covering the industry in the Americas. She became senior reporter in January 2014 and was promoted to news editor in July 2015. Evelyn relocated to PEI's headquarters office in London in 2018 and was promoted to editor in 2019. Prior to joining PEI in 2011 she covered commercial real estate, economic development and environmental issues at NJBIZ, a New Jersey-focused business publication.

Jessica Lee is the Chief Investment Officer of Real Estate Credit at Manulife Investment Management, spearheading its real estate credit platform.  She has both private and public commercial real estate investment experience spanning two decades. Prior to joining the firm, Jessica was a managing director and head of originations for BentallGreenOak’s U.S. Debt. She was a principal within The Carlyle Group's Credit Opportunities, where she was the founding member of the team and built the firm’s U.S. track record in commercial real estate credit. She served as a vice president and partner at H/2 Capital Partners, a real estate credit hedge fund, where she oversaw public and private lodging investments. Earlier in her career, she was an associate within J.P. Morgan Investment Management's Real Estate Americas, where she worked on distressed equity and credit investments during the global financial crisis. Jessica started her career at Ernst & Young LLP’s Real Estate Transaction Advisory group.

Ed is Head of Global Logistics Real Estate at NBIM. He leads NBIM’s unlisted logistics real estate strategy, transactions and asset management. NBIM’s unlisted logistics portfolio consists of approximately 136 million square feet across 12 countries. As of December 31, 2022, NBIM’s net investment value in private logistics real estate was approximately $11.5 billion.

Prior to joining NBIM in 2016, Ed served in investment roles at GLP and IndCor, Blackstone’s first US logistics real estate operating platform. Over his career, Ed has been involved in over $21bn of completed real estate transactions. Ed holds an MSA and BBA from the University of Notre Dame.

Norges Bank Investment Management is the asset management division of Norges Bank, the Norwegian central bank. As manager of the Government Pension Fund Global, its mission is to safeguard and build financial wealth for future generations in Norway.

The fund is invested globally in equity, fixed income, real estate and renewable energy infrastructure. It had investments worth 14.8 trillion kroner, or $1.39 trillion, as of Q3 2023.

The fund owns direct real estate investments worth approximately $30.5 billion, totalling nearly 800 assets across 13 countries.

Mr. Lester is a Senior Vice President of The RMR Group (Nasdaq: RMR) and is responsible for residential investments. Prior to joining RMR in 2023, he was Head of Investment Management for the predecessor to RMR Residential. Previously, he held leadership roles at Blackstone/Park Hill Real Estate, Macquarie Group and Brookfield after beginning his career in corporate investment banking with BNP Paribas and Deutsche Bank. Mr. Lester earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of California, Riverside and a Master of Business Administration degree from Pepperdine University. He is a current member of the Pension Real Estate Association (PREA) and the Urban Land institute (ULI), as well as a past member of International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC).

Mr. Liparidis is Principal and Director of Real Assets at Bessemer Trust. In this role, he is responsible for overseeing the firm’s Real Assets funds including sourcing, allocating to, and monitoring real assets investments. He is a member of the firm’s Investment Policy and Strategy Committee, Real Assets Investment Committee, Private Equity Investment Committee, and Sustainable Investing Committee. Anthony earned an M.B.A. from the New York University Stern School of Business, an M.S. from Manhattan College, and a B.S. from Cornell University. He is a CAIA® charterholder.

Founder and Managing Director of Global SWF, based in New York / Singapore. He is a world-renowned expert on Sovereign Wealth Funds, having acted as practitioner and advisor for many years and published several articles in leading academic journals. He has worked as a consultant of the World Bank and of the United Nations and supported the establishment or reformulation of a number of SWFs around the world.

Diego is a seasoned banker and consultant with over 18 years of experience. Prior to founding Global SWF, he spent five years building up PwC’s footprint in the SWF industry as the Director and COO of the global practice. He started his career in Santander, and spent several years in Accuracy and KPMG.

He has lived and worked in North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Far East Asia. He earned his Masters in Finance from the London School of Economics (LSE) after graduating in the Universities of Madrid and Milan. He is a FINRA-registered representative with Series 62, 63 and 79.

Diego is a prolific open water and ice swimmer and has raced in all seven continents including Antarctica. He is the author of "Continents Seven: Values for sports, business and life, learned around the world"

Kate Mulcahy is a Managing Director focused on SASB and Transitional Lending at 3650 Capital and brings 15 years of commercial real estate lending and capital markets experience.

Prior to 3650, Kate was Head of Capital Markets for BentallGreenOak’s (BGO) Value Add Lending strategy where she sourced, structured, and managed financing facilities including subscription lines, warehouse agreements and note-on-note financings. Previously, Kate held positions as a Director in Annaly Capital Management’s (NYSE: NLY) Commercial Real Estate Group focused on SASB investments and capital markets and as a Vice President at H/2 Capital Partners responsible for capital markets. Kate began her career in the Real Estate Finance group at Citi where she underwrote, structured, and syndicated large loans for REITs and other institutional clients.

Ms. Mulcahy holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Finance) from Carnegie Mellon University.

Nael is an experienced investment, finance, and senior management professional with a proven record in regional and international alternative investments as well as capital markets. Nael is currently the Chief Executive Officer of GFH Partners Ltd. (“GFH Partners”) and is the real estate Chief Investment Officer of GFH Financial Group (the “Group”), where he is responsible for developing and executing the global real estate investment strategy. With over 30 years of experience in investment banking, Nael has covered the areas of capital markets, corporate finance, as well as Shari’ah compliant alternative investments in North America, Europe, and the Middle East. Nael currently leads a team of more than 20 individuals who assist him in managing assets worth over US$6.5 billion globally.

Nael is a CFA charter holder and holds an MBA, with Finance, from Edinburgh University in Scotland. He is also a member of the Investment and Management Committees and a board member of several firms.

Steve Novakovic, CAIA, CFA is Managing Director of Educational Programs for CAIA Association. He joined CAIA in 2022 and has been a charterholder since 2011. Prior to CAIA Association, Steve was a faculty member at Ithaca College, where he taught a variety of finance courses. Steve started his career at his alma mater, Cornell University, (B.S. 2004, MPS 2006) in the Office of University Investments. In his time there, he invested across a variety of asset classes for the $6 billion endowment, generating substantial insight into endowment management and fund investing across the investment landscape.

Silvana Oliva is a seasoned technology executive and board director with over 25 years of experience in AI, cloud infrastructure, high technology, and telecommunications. Between 2018 and 2023, Silvana led the expansion of Google’s digital infrastructure footprint, supporting the rapid growth of its cloud business across EMEA and the Americas. She oversaw strategic investments, formed international joint ventures, and drove operational efficiencies across those regions. Her expertise spans data centres, fibre optic networks (terrestrial and submarine networks) and energy.

Silvana has also held leadership positions at Alcatel-Lucent and BT Group where she led strategic initiatives globally related to the development of telecoms infrastructure and wireless technology. She has also been an advisor to governments on AI and infrastructure development policy. She currently serves as a board member of the International Data Centre Authority.

A recognized leader in AI infrastructure and cloud technology, she is a sought-after speaker on the future of data centers and digital transformation. She is based in New York and has worked across Europe and the Americas.

Randy Plavajka is the deputy editor of PERE Credit, a PEI Group publication focused on the US private commercial real estate credit market. He manages the title's weekly newsletter, Term Sheet, and specializes in analysis on bank lending relationships, C-PACE financing and construction financing. Prior to working at PEI, Randy worked as a leading reporter at Traditional Fund Intelligence covering the mutual fund and ETF industry at With Intelligence. He is a graduate from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, earning a master's degree from the institution.

Paul Rahimian is the CEO and founder of Parkview Financial, a direct private lender specializing in ground-up commercial and residential real estate financing. Since establishing the firm in 2009, Paul has grown Parkview into one of the most respected private construction lenders in the United States, with offices in Los Angeles, New York and Las Vegas. Under his leadership, Parkview has executed over $4 billion in financing for multifamily, retail, industrial, mixed-use, and condominium projects, offering loans ranging from $5 million to $300 million.

A recognized pioneer in the industry, Paul was among the first to integrate loan origination and servicing under one roof, ensuring fast, creative, and reliable financing solutions. His hands-on management style, combined with his background as a third-generation real estate developer and general contractor, has enabled him to guide both Parkview and its borrowers through complex projects with unparalleled success.

Prior to launching Parkview, Paul completed over $350 million in commercial and residential developments between 1988 and 2009. His expertise in construction and development continues to inform Parkview’s ability to tackle some of the most challenging projects in the market, solidifying its reputation for nimble execution and innovative financial solutions. He is routinely featured in leading publications including Bloomberg and Reuters and is a frequent speaker at industry events across the country.

Paul received his bachelor’s degree in Business/Economics from UCLA, his Juris Doctorate from the University of Southern California and a certificate from Harvard Business School after completing its Owner/President Management Program as part of the OPM 60 cohort. He is a member of peer advisory groups Vistage and Tiger 21, and serves on the Board of Trustees for Crossroads School and as Treasurer on the Board of Trustees for the Magbit Foundation.

Parkview Financial

Parkview Financial is an alternative investment manager specializing in commercial real estate credit in the U.S.  Over its 15-year history, Parkview has successfully executed more than $4 billion in short-term bridge and construction first-lien financing across 200 loans.  The firm is active in major U.S. markets and is primarily focused on middle-market loans for the development, acquisition, renovation or refinancing of multifamily, single family residential, industrial, retail and mixed-use projects.

Headquartered in Los Angeles with offices in New York and Las Vegas, Parkview has grown exponentially since it was founded in 2009 by CEO Paul Rahimian. The firm has earned a reputation within the commercial real estate industry as a respected private lender known for its ability to provide swift, creative financing solutions to borrowers requiring certainty of execution.

Parkview's success is driven by its team of seasoned in-house experts across originations, credit underwriting and construction, who bring creativity and agility to even the most complex projects. This combination of expertise and flexibility has solidified Parkview's standing as a trusted partner to experienced and well-capitalized borrowers.

Prashant Raj joined QuadReal in September 2020. As Managing Director, U.S. Debt Investments, he focuses on debt investments including mortgages, mezzanine loans, commercial real estate bonds and platform investments in the United States.

He brings 22 years of experience in commercial real estate capital markets and lending to the QuadReal team. Prashant was formerly a Senior Managing Director of Guggenheim Partners, where he also held senior positions including Head of Guggenheim Commercial Real Estate Finance and Head of Commercial Real Estate Capital Markets and Special Situations. He started his career at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette in 2000 in the Commercial Mortgage Group and has held various roles at Credit Suisse Securities in the Real Estate Finance and Securitization Group.

Prashant holds a Bachelor of Planning from the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi and attended the MPS Real Estate Program at Cornell University. He is a member of the CRE Finance Council and serves on the Board of Directors of SAYA, a youth development organization in New York City.

Samantha Rowan is the editor of PERE Credit, a PEI Media publication which sits alongside Real Estate Capital Europe and PERE. Prior to joining PEI, Sam was the editor of publications that included Real Estate Finance & Investment, Securitization News, and REIT Café at both Euromoney Institutional Investor and With Intelligence. A graduate of Barnard College, Sam is the president of the Columbia University Band Alumni Association, a registered 501c3, and a past volunteer coach of the Columbia University Cycling Club.

Kelly Ryan is the global leader of the Firm’s real estate funds practice, with 25 years of experience focused exclusively on real estate private equity across the U.S., Europe and Asia. Kelly represents many of the largest global private equity firms, as well as sector-specific operators and allocators, newly formed spin-outs and family offices involved in launching investment vehicles, including open-end and permanent capital products, closed-end funds, club deals and separately managed accounts focused on real estate, infrastructure and other real assets. A significant portion of his practice also focuses on strategic investments, secondary transactions and other liquidity events involving private equity firms.

Kirkland & Ellis is a global leader in providing sophisticated advice to investment fund sponsors, institutional investors and other market participants in the alternative investment fund space. Kirkland offers clients the unsurpassed resources of a large, integrated, multidisciplinary, global team located across offices in the United States, Europe and Asia-Pacific. With approximately 3,000 attorneys, no other law firm matches the breadth, depth and scope of Kirkland’s experience in real estate legal services.

Kirkland has extensive experience in every stage of ownership of global real estate assets, including fundraising and structuring, deployment of capital, financings and refinancings, and final asset disposition, as well as complex restructuring and recapitalization transactions.

Since January 2017, Kirkland has formed more than 1,250 funds representing in excess of $1.6 trillion of commitments, including 210 real estate funds.

Sarah Schwarzschild is the Chief Operating Officer of Mavik, responsible for the strategy and operations of the firm, and sits on its Investment Committee.

Prior to joining Mavik, Sarah was the Co-Head of BGO Strategic Capital Partners, a global multi-manager platform currently owned by BentallGreenOak and formerly part of The Carlyle Group.  Sarah was instrumental in building the secondaries business and scaling the global platform to more than $3 billion.  Prior to joining Carlyle, Sarah led Partners Group’s real estate secondary team in the US and was an Assistant Vice President in the Global Opportunity Funds group at RREEF. Sarah started her career as an analyst at Rothschild.

Sarah received a BA, summa cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA with honors from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. Sarah sits on the MBA Council for the Tuck School of Business and is Secretary of the Board of Trustees for The Mianus River Gorge, a land preservation not-for-profit.

Lisa Strope is the Head of Research for TA Realty. In this role, she works closely with senior leadership to craft the strategic house view, drive thought leadership initiatives and monitor domestic and international capital markets. She also partners with the firm’s investment and portfolio management teams to advance the firm’s analysis and forecasting across property types and regions.

She has over 20 years of experience in real estate research, investment, and development. Prior to joining TA Realty in 2020, she spent six years at JLL. Her responsibilities included oversight of the national research platform for life sciences, healthcare and seniors housing and the New England research team. Prior to JLL, she served as a Teaching Fellow at Harvard Business School where she focused on the study of investment trends in real estate.

She holds a B.A. from Cornell University and an M.B.A. from the Stern School of Business at New York University. She is a former Board Member, CREW Boston, and an Adjunct Real Estate Faculty at Babson College.

Maria joined the firm in 2018 and has over 18 years of industry experience. She specializes in real assets with a focus on real estate investment idea generation and due diligence in North America and Europe. Her responsibilities also encompass managing real asset portfolios for clients and researching trends that impact the real assets industry. She works across various structures such as funds and co-investments, and collaborates with US pensions, endowments, foundations, and family offices.

Maria is also a member of the Real Asset Investment Committee, where she plays a pivotal role in sourcing and monitoring real asset investments, including real estate, infrastructure, and global natural resources. Additionally, she serves on several industry committees and advisory boards, including as Global Co-Chair of the CA Women Employee Resource Group and a member of the CA DEI Council. She is a frequent speaker at various industry events.

Before joining Cambridge Associates, Maria held positions at Bain Capital Real Estate (formerly Harvard Management Company’s Real Estate Investment Group), DESCO Group (real estate operator of the Schnuck Markets grocery chain), and Altus Group. Her experience includes direct real estate investment, portfolio management, and asset management. She also worked as a designated commercial appraiser, conducting property valuations, due diligence reports, and feasibility studies.

Maria earned her MBA in Finance from Washington University and her Bachelor of Commerce in Housing and Real Estate Management from the University of Guelph, Canada.

Cierra Taylor is a Vice President at Cerberus Capital Management where she focuses on investments in the real estate private credit sector across all geographies, asset classes, and positions in the capital stack. Prior to joining Cerberus, Cierra was a member of the investments team at PCCP in a dual acquisitions and originations role where she was responsible for underwriting and execution of transactions across the United States.

Cierra graduated with B.S. in Engineering from Yale University.

Patti Unti is the Portfolio Manager at MONTICELLOAM, LLC responsible for developing and implementing investment strategies that align with investor goals while managing risk. Ms. Unti brings nearly three decades of commercial real estate experience across a range of disciplines, including debt, equity, asset management, structured finance, portfolio management, and investment banking.

Prior to joining MONTICELLOAM, she spent 14 years at Waterfall Asset Management where she served as Portfolio Manager of the firm’s commercial real estate equity fund and invested in various debt strategies across the credit spectrum. Previously, Ms. Unti has held various leadership roles including President of Ventras Capital Advisors, Executive Vice President at Capmark Investments, and Director at Heller Financial.
Ms. Unti holds a BBA from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Guelda Voien is the editor of PERE Deals, PEI Media's newest real estate title, which combines actionable news and analysis with a targeted transactions database. She joined PEI in 2024 after serving as market features editor for fine art news and market data hub Artnet. Earlier, she was a deputy editor at Green Street News, covered commercial real estate for outlets including Debtwire and The Real Deal, and served as a senior editor in the culture section at the New York Observer.

Ji Zhang, CFA, Senior Vice President, is a portfolio manager for global real estate portfolios. Prior to joining the firm in 2018, Ms. Zhang was an analyst on the real estate securities team at Neuberger Berman. Previously, she held equity research positions at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Macquarie Capital. Ms. Zhang has a BS from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is based in New York.