Simon is Vice President, Research & Advisory Services at the Urban Land Institute (ULI), where he is responsible for managing its innovative research agenda covering the key issues shaping the future of the real estate industry including climate change and sustainability, investment and development trends and shifts in demography and technological change. Prior to joining ULI, Simon specialised in research on global cities and real estate for Grosvenor, one of the world’s largest privately-owned international property businesses. Simon’s role involved undertaking analysis on global city developments to inform the company’s long-term strategy and thinking on cities. He has undertaken major research projects on megatrends for real estate, examining topics such as urbanisation, demographic change, digital disruption and climate change. Simon also has previous experience working in urban planning, economic development and strategic consulting for the retail sector. He holds an MSc in Urban Economic Development from The Bartlett Development Planning Unit, University College London.

Marc Lhermitte is a Senior Partner at EY Consulting, where he leads the EY’s “Competitiveness and Attractiveness” Global Sector of Excellence, as well as the International Location Advisory Services. He has managed strategy and transformation projects for national and local governments, professional organizations, real estate companies, multinational corporations, SMEs, and start-ups, focusing on international investment, strategic planning, real estate, innovation, and infrastructure. For several years, he has coordinated EY's attractiveness surveys in various countries and regions, analyzing international investments, complex location decisions, and public policies. He has also overseen studies related to real estate, sports, culture, and creative industries. He has served as a member of the Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) Steering Committee in France, actively participated in their Office & Mixed Use Product Council, and overseen the “Global Business Districts Attractiveness Report” in collaboration with ULI in 2017, 2020, and 2025. Marc serves on the governance boards of several professional organisations and was appointed Foreign Trade Advisor of France by decree of the Prime Minister.

Mr. Tanaka is Managing Partner and Head of Asia Pacific for Hines, leading the company's real estate initiatives across acquisitions, dispositions, operations, and development, ensuring assset optimization, strong tenant partnerships and innovation while aligning regional and global strategies.He is a member of the firms's Executive Committee and oversees Hines' presence in six countries. Jon joined Hines in 2021, bringing over 25 years of real estate development and investment experience. He led the rapid expansion of Hines' Japan portfolio, acquiring more than thirty high performing assets acrosss residential, industrial, logistics, and office sectors, totaling more than $2 billion in value. Prior to joining Hines, he was Managing Director, Head of Japan Real Estate and member of the investment committee for Angelo Gordon’s pan-Asia real estate investment team. Previously, he was Managing Director for Deutsche Bank RREEF in Japan. Tanaka is an Executive Commitee member of ULI Asia Pacific and served as Vice Chairman of ULI Japan and Global Governing Trustee. He earned a B.A. degree in East Asian Studies from Harvard University and an MBA from the University of California at Berkeley. He also attended the Graduate School of Architecture at Kyoto University. He is fluent in Japanese and English.