ULI Europe Young Leaders Retreat 2025

When

2025-09-18 - 2025-09-20

Choose Your Calendar

    Where

    Warsaw Will open in a new window . Warszawa . POLAND
    The event official programme will run from the evening of Thursday, 18 September to the afternoon of Saturday, 20 September. 2025

    Join us in Warsaw for an immersive multi-day retreat, where young professionals will explore the vibrant city while diving into cutting-edge real estate projects. With a growing ULI presence, Warsaw presents a dynamic blend of historic charm and modern development, offering strong investment opportunities driven by economic growth, urban revitalization, and rising demand for premium spaces.

    VIEW FULL PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS AND SCHEDULE HERE.

    What to Expect:

    • Exclusive Site Visits – Explore cutting-edge real estate projects and learn from the teams behind them.
    • Thought-Provoking Workshops & Panels – Enhance your skills with insights from city leaders and top industry experts.
    • High-Impact Networking – Connect with ambitious Young Leaders from across Europe and key local professionals.

    Agenda overview: 

    Thursday 18th September | 17:30 - 19:30 | Young Leaders Retreat Opening Evening

    Location: Powiśle Power Plant | Chillout Zone Room, Zajęcza 2B, 00-351 Warsaw 

    17:45 – 18:00 Welcome drinks and opening

    • Marcin Juszczyk, Managing Partner, Capital Park sp. z o.o., ULI Poland Chair
    • Ariana Maass, Director, Real Estate Business Development, Helaba, ULI Europe YL Chair  
    • Jan Kowalski, Head of Development (Poland), Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, ULI Poland Young Leader Chair  

    18:00 – 18:50 Opening speaker: Geopolitics and Poland's role in CEE and Europe, tracing it historically and economically
    from WWII & communism through major evolution to its place today.

    • Marek Matraszek, Chairman, CEC Group

    18:50 – 19:30 Refreshments and Networking Activities for Young Leaders. Moderated by Eirik Stein-Andersen and Peter DiPrinzio, ULI Europe Executive Committee Members and Retreat Leads.

    Friday 19th September | 8:30 - 22:00 | Full day - Site visits, Case Studies, Discussions 

    Morning Location: Collier Office, ul. Pańska 97, Warsaw, 00-834, Poland 

    8:30 – 11.10 Morning session covering, speed dating and introductions, a capital markets overview, a panel discussion on how current trends impact CEE: capital markets, investments and real estate, and more.

    11:10 – 11:30 Coffee Break 

    12:00 – 13:30 Towarowa 22 Presentation and Property Tour by Jems Architects  

    Afternoon Location: Fabryka Norblina

    13:45 - 15:00 Lunch at Amar Beirut

    Adaptive Reuse – Meeting modern needs while preserving cultural identity: Case of Fabryka Norblina by Capital Park

    15:15 – 15:30 Meet the CEO Introduction

    • Marcin Juszczyk, Managing Partner, Capital Park sp. z o.o., ULI Poland Chair

    15:30 – 16:00 Fabryka Norblina Tour 

    Free time: 16:00 - 17:45

    Evening Location: Varso Tower

    17:45 – 19:45 Exploring the Tallest tower in the European Union – Varso Tower by HB Reavis and Foster + Partners

    • 17:45 – 18:30 – Welcome and Site Visit and Presentation with Foster + Partners  
      We will meet in the lobby and will be guided by Foster and Partners.
      • Jędrzej Kolesiński, Architect, Partner, Foster + Partners  
      • Krzysztof Jakub Gornicki, Architect, Senior Partner, Foster + Partners  
    • 18:30 – 19:45 – Sundown Drinks with a View

    20:00 – 21:30 Dinner at modern Polish restaurant Warszawski Sen

    Saturday 20th September | 10:00 - 12:30 | Half Day - Cultural exploration and exclusive talks.

    Morning Meeting Location: Dialog Bistro

    10-10:15 Coffee & Arrival 

    10:15 – 12:30 Polish History Museum with architect and Museum tour  

    • Marta Sekulska-Wronska, Architect, Partner and CEO, WXCA  

    12.45 – 14:30 Farewell Lunch at Dialog

    • 12:45 - 13:15 Beyond the Blueprint: How AI is Shaping the Future of Architecture
      • Maciej Markowski, CEO, SquarePlan
      • Kasia Piekarczyk, Design Director, Associate, Henning Larsen
    • 13:15 – 14:30 Lunch

    END OF EVENT

    What is included?

    Your registration includes the official programme covering welcome drinks on Thursday, lunch and dinner on Friday and farewell lunch on Saturday. Please take care of your trip to Warsaw and accommodation. 

    Hotels:

    Discounted rates are offered to Retreat attendees at Barceló Warsaw Powiśle. Email Helena Brown for more info. 

    To find out more about what to expect from our Young Leaders Retreats, please see our dedicated page here. 

     

    Thank you to our Retreat supporters: 

     

    Thank you to our coffee supporters: 

    Payment Terms:

    - All bookings must be paid for in advance of the event - Invoice payment terms strictly 30 days from the issue date of the invoice - If your booking is less than 30 days before the event or payment has not been received by this date, you will be asked to settle the account before being permitted to enter the event - Please ensure that your accounts team is aware of our terms to avoid any delays to your on-site registration

    Cancellation/Refund Policy:

    - Written cancellation and refund requests received at ULI at least 30 days prior (until 20 August 2025) to the event will be awarded a full refund minus a €50 processing fee - No refunds will be given for cancellation requests received from 21 August 2025 - Registration may be transferred to another member of your organisation who is eligible to attend. If necessary, fee adjustments will be made based on ULI membership status - Verbal requests for cancellations and refunds will not be accepted: all requests must be made in writing to [email protected]

     

    Warsaw . POLAND

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    Speakers

    Ariana Maaß

    Director, Real Estate Business Development, Helaba

    Ariana Maass has recently joined Helaba, one of the largest German real estate lenders, as Director for Real Estate Business Development. In this role, she is leveraging her cross-border lending experience and working alongside the Global Head of Real Estate Finance on the strategic growth and alignment of the lending portfolio for all active global markets and asset classes of the bank. Ariana joined ULI in 2021 and serves as the ULI Europe Chair to over 1.900 Young Leaders across 16 National Councils. She has been part of, and now chairing, the YL Europe Executive Committee for the past three years and is currently working on re-establishing the committee and its’ initiatives. She is fluent in four languages.

    Kasia Piekarczyk

    Design Director, Associate, Henning Larsen

    Kasia is an Associate Design Director for Architecture at Henning Larsen, based in Copenhagen, Denmark. She is also a keynote speaker, sharing insights on design leadership, architectural innovation, and the sustainable future of cities at international conferences and industry events. With global experience spanning Hong Kong and the Netherlands, Kasia specializes in leading multidisciplinary teams in delivering complex projects driven by strategic vision and design excellence. Before joining Henning Larsen, she was part of TU Delft’s Complex Projects Studio, chaired by Kees Kaan, where she led research for master students—a role she continues occasionally as a guest tutor. Her ongoing involvement in academia bridges practice and education, fostering innovative thinking in architecture. ---- Design is a conversation across time and scale—stretching from the city to the doorknob. What drives me is the ability to shape this dialogue, to craft spaces that don’t just function but inspire. A shift in mindset can make the impossible possible, and I believe that trust is the foundation for ambitious ideas to take flight. If we can align people under a shared vision, we can take risks together—and that’s where real innovation happens. Complexity is a given. The challenge is making it meaningful. My strength lies in bridging scales, disciplines, and perspectives—bringing clients, design teams, and stakeholders into alignment through a shared narrative. A strong story doesn’t just connect people; it energizes them, turning data into direction and ambition into action. Whether leading multidisciplinary teams or redefining the design process itself, I look for the moments where friction turns into momentum. I design resilient, future-forward spaces by balancing aesthetic value, functional performance, and innovation. Sometimes that means learning from the vernacular, other times developing new tools—whether for analysis or construction. It also means creating frameworks that allow projects to inform one another, so each step forward builds on what came before. I seek partners who want to push boundaries, develop at an ambitious scale, and explore what’s possible when we design with a shared vision.

    Dorota Wysokinska-Kuzdra

    Senior Partner, Colliers Poland sp. z o.o.

    Dorota joined Colliers in 2018 as Director and Senior Partner, Head of Corporate Finance and Living Services for CEE. She leads a team of real estate professionals with proven experience gained in private equity and investment banking as well as broader living sector. Dorota is responsible for comprehensive financial advisory, including debt financing, mezzanine financing, raising capital and gaining capital partners, and offering support in acquiring companies and entering the stock exchange. Heading living services department, she specializes in advisory, transactions and operations targeting apartments for sale (Built To Sell), flats for rent (Built To Rent) private dormitories (PBSA), co-living, senior living, micro apartments, serviced apartments and other types of housing schemes. Under Dorota’s leadership Colliers was part of all major living and equity transactions in Poland and CEE. Before joining Colliers International, Dorota Wysokinska-Kuzdra spent 11 years as Senior Partner at Griffin Real Estate, where she was responsible for the Group’s management and investments, and for the first mezzanine fund operating in Poland. Recently, she has been involved in the creation of a logistics platform co-managed by Griffin. Earlier, as CEO at Griffin Premium RE, the first REIT fund, she successfully launched the fund on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. She was a member of the team responsible for acquiring shares in Echo Investment SA, one of the biggest transactions on the Polish real estate market, in which she was responsible for due diligence and financing the acquisition. Before joining Griffin, for over 10 years, she held director positions in the HypoVereinsbank / UniCredit Group, and in their subsidiaries, monitoring real estate investment banking and managing real estate. Dorota Wysokinska-Kuzdra has graduated from SGH Warsaw School of Economics, the University of Cologne and the University of Duisburg-Essen. Dorota was chairperson in the Polish branch of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) between 2018-2021 – the international non-profit organisation that supports responsible planning and developing of cities, which functions as a platform of knowledge exchange between experts and participants in the real estate market, both in Poland and abroad. In 2020, in addition to the Polish role, she has been elected to join the Executive Committee of ULI Europe and is now creating ULI CEE HUB. She is a Global Governing Trustee for ULI Global.

    Jakub Skwarlo

    Chief Operating Officer Central Europe, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield

    Jakub Skwarlo is Chief Operating Officer Central Europe and member of the Executive Committee at Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) since June 2023. In this role, he is responsible for the strategy as well as operational and development activity across Germany, Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. His direct reporting lines incorporate Asset Management, Customer & Retail Operations, Mergers & Acquisitions and Development, which includes the mixed-use project development Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier that celebrated a successful retail opening on April 8, 2025. Jakub’s career at URW started back in 2005 - with positions including Leasing, Asset Management, Strategic Project Management and Operations, first in Poland, followed by Central Eastern Europe, France, and later the UK. His first job was in consulting with Arthur Andersen.

    Marcin Juszczyk

    Managing Partner, Capital Park sp. z o.o.

    Chairman of Urban Land Institute in Poland since October 2023. Managing Partner and Vice President of the Board of Capital Park Group with over 20 years of professional experience in the real estate sector and with over 10 years experience in running of the company listed on Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE:CPG). Played strategic roles in Capital Park since its formation in 2003, starting as CFO and then as Head of Investment Department since 2006. Within Management Board responsible for areas of strategic business development, M&A, joint ventures and finance areas. Took part in over 100 transactions involving properties all across Poland, secured over €700m in bank financing and raised over €100m in bonds and shares issues on Polish capital market. Local partner to leading Private Equity Real Estate fund managers such as Patron Capital Partners and Madison International Realty on Polish market. Developer of Norblin Factory in Warsaw - the winner of ULI European and Global Awards for Excellence in 2022. Before joining Capital Park - CFO in Communication One Group / Call Center Poland SA – a leading Polish call/contact center outsourcing group. Until 2001 worked as management and information systems consultant and project leader. Member of the REIT Poland Association, the Polish Chamber of Commercial Real Estate (PINK) and the Foundation for Education and Research on REITs. Interested in large scale sustainable urban development projects, mixed-use, premium residential, conversions, brownfield regeneration and revitalization projects.

    Hadley Dean

    Founder, MDC²

    Hadley has been successfully operating in Poland for over 25 years where he is recognized for growing businesses and consistently outperforming the marketplace. Before establishing MDC² he used to hold the role of the founding CEO of EPP – the largest owner of shopping centers in Poland (EUR 2.6bn of GAV). Prior to EPP he was a Managing Partner for Eastern Europe for Colliers International where he built the best logistics and industrial space agency business in Central and Eastern Europe.

    Piotr Mirowski

    Senior Partner, Head of Investment Services, Colliers International

    Piotr Mirowski, in the capacity of senior partner, head of investment services and board member, is responsible for supervision, management and business growth of the capital markets team in Poland. His range of responsibilities includes strategic real estate advisory, structuring and execution of property sale and acquisition transactions, origination of capital, overseeing commercial due diligence and underwriting, participation in commercial negotiations of sale and purchase contracts. Piotr joined Colliers in 2006 and previously worked at Deloitte. Piotr graduated from the Warsaw School of Economics with a major in real estate with his master’s dissertation addressing the issue of influence of mortgage-backed securities on the Polish capital and real estate markets. Piotr has been instrumental in origination, structuring and successful closings of numerous high-profile investment transactions (both sell-side and buy-side) across all main real estate asset classes with a cumulative volume in excess of €10 billion, including commercial advisory and underwriting for a JV between Griffin/Oaktree/PIMCO on the acquisition of a stake in Echo Investment S.A. (underlying asset value of €1.5 bn) and, among others, Generation Park Y (€285 mln), Q22 (€273 mln, Warsaw), Warsaw Financial Center (€210 mln), Skanska Office Portfolios (ca. €330 mln, Kraków, Katowice, Łódź, Wrocław), Vastint Office Portfolio (€190 mln, Wrocław & Poznań), Wola Park shopping center (€200 mln, Warsaw), CH Riviera (€295 mln, Gdynia) and H&M/Castorama/Tesco/Zalando distribution centers (€300+ mln, various locations). Transactions included domestic and cross-border corporate, platform and asset deals for clients such as 7R Logistics, Blackstone, Cornerstone IM, CPI, Deka Immobilien, DWS, Echo Investment, Generali, Griffin Capital Partners , Hines, Immofinanz, Invesco, KGAL, MLP, Oaktree, Panattoni, PIMCO, Redefine, Reico, Skanska, Union Investment and Vastint.

    Marta Sekulska-Wronska

    CEO, WXCA

    Architect, Partner and CEO of WXCA architecture studio. A President of the Warsaw Chapter of the Association of Polish Architects (SARP) from 2019 to 2023, a Member of the SARP Competition Jury Board and the Polish Chamber of Architects (IARP). She graduated with a degree in Architecture and Urban Planning from the Warsaw University of Technology in Poland. She has led numerous award-winning projects, including the Polish Pavilion at Expo 2020 in Dubai and one of Europe’s largest Museum Complexes at the Warsaw Citadel, home to the Polish History Museum and the Polish Army Museum. Together with the team, twice nominated for the Mies van der Rohe Award for the Geological Education Center in Chęciny and the Palmiry Memorial Museum. A frequent speaker at architectural and business conferences.  She specializes in complex public and commercial projects in architecture, urban planning, and landscape design, integrating natural and social contexts, leading her team in creating projects that serve as integrative platforms for dialogue. Currently, she is involved in the revitalization of the former Passenger Car Factory (60 ha) and the reconstruction of Piłsudski Square’s western facade, including the Saxon and Brühl Palaces.

    Maciej Markowski

    CEO, SquarePlan

    Maciej Markowski, CEO of SquarePlan, an AI PropTech startup. Ex-Founder & CEO of a global PropTech spaceOS (acquired by Equiem) and a real estate & workplace strategy expert – ex Partner at C&W, who have worked in UK for JLL and CBRE.

    Eirik Stein-Andersen

    Investment Professional, Areim AB

    Eirik Stein-Andersen is an Investment Professional at the real estate private equity firm Areim, based in Oslo. His role focuses on sourcing and underwriting new investment opportunities. He is also contributing to the development of Areim’s footprint in Norway. Eirik has a finance background and started his career at Arctic Securities in investment banking. Other work experience includes roles at Malling and Ivanhoé Cambridge. Eirik graduated with a Master’s in Finance and Accounting from the University of St. Gallen in 2019. He recently completed a part-time Master’s in Real Estate at the University of Cambridge (2022-2024).

    Peter DiPrinzio

    Partner and Development Director, Seawall Development

    Results-driven real estate development professional with 10 years of experience specializing in acquisitions, financial modeling, and creative financing—encompassing over $220M in mixed-use, retail, and food & beverage projects. Key contributor to growing a boutique firm from 5 to 30 employees, he has consistently delivered superior returns by identifying transformative opportunities and turning underutilized properties into thriving community assets. Leveraging strong financial acumen and collaborative team leadership, he has led projects ranging from historic market revitalizations to cutting-edge residential developments while exceeding revenue targets and driving sustained organizational growth.

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