Thimon de Jong is the founder of WHETSTON / strategic foresight, a think tank specialised in future human behaviour & societal change and the implications for leadership & business strategy. He is a sought-after global (virtual) keynote presenter and leadership trainer. His clients include Morgan Stanley, Vodafone, IKEA and Nike. In 2023, Routledge published Thimon’s first book: ‘Future Human Behavior - understanding what people are going to do next’. This book compiles the best of his research, cases and stories that are inspired by fifteen years of working on future challenges with a number of leading organizations throughout the world. Thimon also lectures at the social psychology department of Utrecht University where he teaches master students how academic research can be practically applied to improve business strategy. He has a master’s degree in Cultural Studies with a minor in International Business Studies. He is a former insights & strategy director at TrendsActive, researcher at FreedomLab Future Studies and editor-in-chief of RELOAD Magazine.

Tomáš is the Chairman of the Board of Directors at REICO, an investment company of Česká spořitelna, a.s., a member of Erste Group Bank AG. REICO was established in 2006 to run the ČS nemovitostní fond, now REICO ČS NEMOVITOSTNÍ, which is the largest and oldest Czech mutual real estate fund. In 2021 the company also launched a new fund REICO ČS LONG LEASE. In his position, Tomáš directs property business over both funds and carries joint responsibility of the investment company. Previously Tomáš worked at CBRE, DTZ (now Cushman&Wakefield) and EY. He is a graduate of the Humboldt-University in Berlin and College of Estate Management in Reading. Tomáš is a CFA charter holder and a member of the RICS.

Didde Maria Trachsel Kristensen is a Partner and Head of Investor Relations at NREP. Since joining in 2015, Didde focuses on the development of new business areas, fundraising and investor relations. Prior to joining NREP, Didde spent 5 years as Senior M&A Transaction Manager at Ørsted (prev. DONG Energy - a Danish utility) working mainly with divestments and establishment of long term partnerships with international financial and institutional investors for the construction and operation of offshore wind farms. She has also previously worked with mortgage financing in Nykredit. Didde holds a M.Sc. in Economics and Business Management from Aarhus University, Denmark.

Andrea Carpenter is Co-Founder and Director of Diversity Talks Real Estate, and a writer and communications consultant in the property industry. As a Director of Diversity Talks Real Estate, Andrea helps raise the visibility of under-represented groups in the industry through the stage and media. This includes training and other female-led initiatives through DTRE’s Women Talk Real Estate community. On the writing side, her book about the history of the modern European property industry, High Rise and Fall, was published by Routledge in September 2018. Andrea began her career as a journalist at Property Week before moving on to be editor of EuroProperty for seven years. Following this she worked for various industry bodies including the Urban Land Institute, INREV in Amsterdam, and its sister organisation ANREV in Hong Kong. On returning to the UK, she worked as Head of Marketing and Communications EMEA at CBRE Global Investors.

Łukasz has 13 years of experience in advising and financing investment projects. For the last 6 years, he is heading commercial real estate financing in Bank Pekao (being second largest bank in Poland and one of the most active in the area of real estate). Before taking that position, he was working in Leveraged Buyout and Project Finance team in Bank Pekao. As Head of Real Estate Financing, Łukasz was responsible for financing all sectors of the industry including PRS projects, Dormitories, Warehouses, Retail and Offices in the amount exciding PLN 10bln (EUR 2.5bn). Before joining Pekao, Łukasz worked in Ernst & Young Coporate Finance where he was responsible for structuring and fundraising for investment projects in many industries. Łukasz graduated Finance and Accounting as well as Management in Szkola Glowna Handlowa in Warsaw. He also holds ACCA title.

Soren Rodian Olsen is a Managing Director of Logicenters in Poland at NREP. Soren has 19 years of senior management and real estate experience in Poland. He brings to NREP extensive knowledge gained from his previous role as a Partner and Head of the Capital Markets at Cushman & Wakefield. Prior to that he was Head of Aberdeen Asset Management in Poland and between 2002 and 2008 he worked for Bank BPH (Bank Austria Creditanstalt) and BRE Bank (Commerzbank) as Head of Asset Management, Real Estate, Supply Chain and Business Continuity. He holds an MBA from the University of Westminster, is a member of RICS and is a Chair of ULI Poland.

Marek Obuchowicz specialises in private equity and corporate finance, particularly in the real estate sector. As Partner, Marek currently oversees the development and all activities of Griffin’s PBSA Student Depot platform, the Life Spot PRS platform, and the Stokado self-storage platform. In 2019, Marek was responsible for acquiring Student Depot through a joint venture created thanks to Griffin’s activity in partnership with Kajima Corporation. The platform, representing half of the Polish Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) market, was purchased in a transaction worth over EUR 60 m. Currently, Marek’s responsibilities include, among others: the acquisition of new projects, the organising of bank financing for further development of the platform, and cooperation with the platform’s management on key strategic initiatives. Marek has also actively participated in other strategic transactions of the Company, as well as numerous acquisitions of office and retail properties and refinancing. Marek graduated from the London School of Economics and the University of London.

Anna Duchnowska is a Managing Director of Investment Management at Invesco Real Estate. Anna is responsible for identifying value creation initiatives to deliver performance in assets and portfolios. Anna is also a member of Invesco’s European Executive Committee and Investment Committee. Anna champions also some of the firm’s key pan-European Investment management initiatives including ESG, a subject which she is passionate about. Anna began her investment career in 2000 and joined Invesco Real Estate in 2014, setting up the Polish Office and being responsible for business development and asset management. Prior to joining Invesco, Anna worked for Colliers International Poland, AIB Polonia Property Fund and KPMG. Anna has professional experience in asset management, acquisitions and disposals, development management, leasing and finance within different types of properties including office/ logistics/ retail / residential and hotels. She is experienced in leading and managing cross borders teams. Anna earned a Master of Economics degree from the Warsaw School of Economics and an Executive Master of Business Administration from the University of Minnesota. Anna is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Accountants (FCCA) and a Member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS). Anna is also a Mentor in a global Invesco Women Network and she is based in the Warsaw office

Marek Matraszek was born in the UK and studied at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he graduated in Philosophy, Politics and Economics in 1984. Following a year in Poland teaching at the Catholic University of Lublin, he returned to Magdalen to obtain an M.Phil degree in Russian and East European Studies in 1987. He then continued his studies at Oxford, reading for a doctoral dissertation. Marek moved to Poland in 1990 as a freelance political consultant, and worked closely with both the British Conservative Party and the US Republican Party in assisting their activities in Central Europe. In 1992 he was appointed to represent the Margaret Thatcher Foundation in the region, and continued to be active in political journalism and think-tank work in Central Europe throughout the 1990s. He co-established CEC in the early 1990s as the first Western-style public affairs consultancy in Central Europe, and has since then seen the company grow into the leading public affairs and political communications brand in the region. He has designed and implemented strategic communications and lobbying campaigns for major US, UK and European multinationals in Poland and in the Central European region as a whole, with a special focus on defence, aviation and energy. Today he oversees CEC Group’s regional activities, its growth into new product areas and client sectors, and international brand and network positioning. Marek has written widely on Polish and international affairs for publications such as Poland Monthly, Warsaw Business Journal, The Spectator and Wall Street Journal Europe, and has published a study of the Polish political scene, The Politics of Restoration. He has commentated on Polish politics for Polish Radio, the BBC, CNN, CNBC and other media outlets, and is on Twitter at @matraszek. A UK citizen, he speaks Polish fluently.

Maarten Vermeulen joined ULI Europe per the 1st of December last year as its SVP – National Councils. In this role Mr. Vermeulen is responsible for the development of National Councils in EMEA to drive growth, both from a quality and quantity perspective. Prior to joining ULI Mr. Vermeulen has had a broad range of national and international roles at leading firms in the industry, such as BPD, LaSalle and CBRE GWS. Moreover, during the period of 2014 – 2018, Mr. Vermeulen has been the Managing Director for RICS in Europe, Russia & CIS. Mr. Vermeulen speaks on a regular basis on broad range of real estate related topics at conferences and universities across Europe and has been chief-editor and co-author of a range of books, papers and publications related to property management, ethics and ESG. Mr. Vermeulen holds a BHA in Hotel & Facility Management, an MBA in General Management and a MSRE in Real Estate Investment Management.