Madrid, 2 October 2025: The Urban Land Institute (ULI) has appointed Beatriz Toribio Rodríguez as Executive Director for ULI Spain. Her appointment precedes the departure of Barbara Recio Pelayo who has chosen to step down from the role after two and a half years.

Beatriz joins ULI, the world’s oldest and largest network for real estate experts, with over 15 years of experience in real estate strategy, communication, institutional relations, and housing market analysis.

During her career, she has focused on delivering transformative projects working with a range of companies, associations, and proptech firms, including executive director at professional real estate membership associations in Spain including the National Association of Developers (APCEspaña) and the rental housing organisation for landlords Asval Asociación. Beatriz has also held senior management positions in several international companies dealing with strategy responsibilities, research & market analysis and institutional relations. She is recognised as an authority on housing trends, and frequently participates as a speaker at conferences, roundtables, and in the media.

ULI is a global, non-profit education and research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to shape the future of the built environment for transformative impact in communities worldwide. In Europe ULI has over 5,500 members across 15 National Council country networks.

In Spain ULI operates through two active local councils (Barcelona and Madrid) serving more than 500 members from across the real estate value chain. Beatriz will work closely with ULI Spain Chair Jorge Pérez de Leza and the wider Executive Committee, focusing on ULI’s growth, impact and influence in the country.

Beatriz Toribio Rodríguez comments, “It is a great honour for me to join ULI, a global and prestigious organisation with such a strong impact and reputation in the real estate industry. At a time of great challenges and opportunities for the sector, I am excited to contribute to strengthening ULI´s role in advancing sustainable and inclusive urban development. I truly believe ULI is a meeting point for the real estate community in Spain, fostering dialogue, innovation and collaboration.”

Barbara Recio Pelayo comments, “As I hand over the baton to Beatriz, I would like to thank my previous and present Chairs Alberto Valls and Jorge Perez de Leza, and the wider Executive Committee, for the progress we have made in further developing the organisation’s voice, visibility and impact in Spain. This includes launching Spain’s first Product Councils and increasing the range of opportunities for industry leaders to collaborate and exchange knowledge. I believe that I am leaving ULI Spain in a good position, ready for its next stage of growth.”

ULI Spain Chair Jorge Perez de Leza adds, “Welcome to Beatriz, who brings a wealth of built environment knowledge and experience to the role and is a well-established and respected industry champion in the region. We’re looking forward to working with her as we focus on building on a great legacy of work with our members in Spain. My thanks also go to Barbara for everything that has been achieved over the last two and a half years.”

Jan W. Peter, Chief Operating Officer, ULI Europe, concludes, “We are very pleased to welcome Beatriz to ULI, overseeing and further developing our presence in Spain. She is very well respected and has such a broad range of experience closely aligned with ULI’s priorities and mission. We’re all looking forward to collaborating with her, along with Jorge as Chair and the Executive Committee, to further grow and diversify the membership, enhance our value proposition, and advance our mission. At the same time, we’re sad to see Barbara go and I would like to thank her for her great contribution to the growth and professional establishment of ULI Spain and I want to wish her all the best for the future.”

Ends

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Notes to Editors

About the Urban Land Institute

The Urban Land Institute is a non-profit education and research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to shape the future of the built environment for transformative impact in communities worldwide. Established in 1936, the institute has over 48,000 members worldwide representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines. In Europe ULI has over 5,500 members across 15 National Council country networks.

For more information on ULI, please visit https://europe.uli.org and https://spain.uli.org/