Éric Donnet, Managing Director of Groupama Immobilier, has been appointed President of Urban Land Institute France (ULI France) for a two-year term. He succeeds Sébastien Chémouny, recently appointed Managing Director of Ofi Invest Real Estate, whose term of office ended on June 30.

Urban Land Institute is a not-for-profit organisation whose mission is to shape the future of our urban and real estate environment with the aim of positively transforming communities worldwide. ULI is a global research center, producing numerous recognized sector, local and regional reports that position the Institute and its members as opinion leaders worldwide. ULI is also a center of education for young talent, providing leadership and sharing best practices for sustainable land use. ULI also deploys a mentoring program that enables senior executives to share their experiences and support young leaders, and an educational program called “Urban Plan” dedicated to students and high-school pupils.

ULI has become a key forum for activities in the real estate sector in the broadest sense, facilitating the open exchange of ideas, information and experience between market leaders and political decision-makers, at national and international level, and across all generations.  In France today, ULI brings together over 760 members – constantly growing by over 20% in recent years – from the built environment, from all real estate and land management professions, and from both the public and private sectors.

Éric Donnet declared:

“Now more than ever, three key words must guide the actions of ULI members:
– Connect: with 760 decision-makers in France, 5,000 in Europe and 50,000 worldwide, ULI is one of the most active networks in the city fabric, capable of bridging the gap between the public and private spheres.
– Inspire: ULI has both the capacity for in-depth global foresight and the ability to share best practices in the field. Two essential approaches in today’s troubled world.
– Lead: we have the responsibility to guide our industry towards sustainable urban development, towards Zero Net Emissions, Zero Net Artificialisation, and accessibility to housing for as many people as possible. More than ever, we will train new generations in these issues, through our mentoring programme and our “Urban plan” educational programme. I am delighted to be able to continue the tremendous momentum started by Sébastien Chémouny and Mélanie Charpentier, and to aim for 1,000 members by the end of my term of office.”

Lisette van Doorn, CEO ULI Europe, declared:

“Welcome to Éric, one of the most senior real estate leaders in France, whose commitment to ULI, our mission and priorities, his longstanding expertise, and his strong network make him an ideal chair to lead and further develop our national council there. I’m looking forward to working with him and the ULI France Steering Committee as he seeks to build upon Sébastien’s legacy and implements his vision and strategy for ULI France, including a strong focus on leveraging opportunities for further membership growth, and impact on our mission priorities focused on decarbonisation, housing, education and DEI.”

“I would also like to express my sincere thanks to Sébastien Chémouny for his leadership of ULI France and the significant contribution made to the continued development and success of the national council over the last three years in terms of membership, programmes, and engagement. During his tenure, membership almost doubled to 760 members”.

Lars Huber, Chairman ULI Europe / CEO Hines Europe added:

“My thanks go to Sébastien, who has enjoyed great success during his tenure and has made a tremendous contribution to the development of our organisation in France. I am very pleased to now welcome Éric into the role of chair of ULI France, and I look forward to working with him at a European level as we collectively work to respond to some of the biggest challenges facing our industry”.

Biography:

Éric Donnet, 53, has been Managing Director of Groupama Immobilier since 2013 and, since its creation in December 2014, has been jointly Chairman of Groupama Gan REIM, Club de l’Immobilier and Comité Grande Armée.

He is also Managing Director of Compagnie Foncière Parisienne and Managing Director of Société Forestière Groupama. Member of the Strategic Committee of EXPERTISIMO, of the Board of Directors of Fédération des Entreprises Immobilières (FEI), and of Observatoire Régional de l’Immobilier d’Entreprise (ORIE),

A graduate of the Institut Commercial de Nancy (ICN) and holder of a Diplôme d’Etudes Supérieures Comptables et Financières (DESCF). He began his career in 1993 as a management controller with Lyreco. Two years later, he joined PricewaterhouseCoopers as head of auditing and consulting assignments, before returning to Lyreco, this time in France, to take up the position of head of European development and acquisitions for Lyreco Management. In 2000, he joined Valeo Distribution as Director of Strategy and Special Projects. His real estate adventure began in 2002 with GE Real Estate, General Electric’s real estate subsidiary. He then went on to become Deputy Director of Bail Investissement Foncière, Managing Director of Addvim Property Management and Chairman and CEO of Deltis FM.

In 2005, Éric Donnet joined AEW Europe as Head of Asset Management. He went on to become Deputy Managing Director and Director of Operations.

About the Urban Land Institute:

– The Urban Land Institute (ULI) is a not-for-profit education and research organization funded entirely by its members. Its mission is to shape the future of our urban and real estate environment with the goal of positively transforming communities worldwide. Founded in 1936, the organization today has more than 48,000 members from all professions in real estate, land management and development.

– ULI’s priorities :

o Decarbonizing and adapting our industry, aiming for zero net emissions

o Education and leadership training for new generations

o Improving access to housing worldwide

– ULI has some 5,000 members in Europe, including over 760 ULI members in France, spread across 15 national council networks.

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