The Urban Land Institute (ULI) and Hines, the global real estate firm, have announced details of both the finalist teams and the jury for the third annual ULI Hines Student Competition – Europe.

Six multidisciplinary teams, demonstrating real diversity, have been selected from a range of applications from across Europe to participate in this prestigious student competition for integrated and multidisciplinary urban regeneration. The teams have been drawn from an eclectic mix of universities, business schools and further education establishments to encourage diversity in the real estate sector.

Members of the winning team will receive a fast-track to the Hines internship application programme, a guided tour of an existing development project, participation in project meetings in Hines’ European office, and complementary access to bespoke in-person opportunities within the ULI programmes (depending on location and interest).

Each finalist team member will also receive a one-year ULI membership providing access to research content, events, webinars, education and mentorship programmes, knowledge sharing, and connections with a multidisciplinary global network of real estate and land use professionals.

The competition will take place in a hybrid format on 24 May 2022, and student teams will participate in a challenging task which tests skills and knowledge of real estate and land-use through a practical and rigorous case study.

During the competition, participants will need to consider various elements, including finance, investment, design, planning and sustainable development, and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations in their responses.

The finalist teams are:

• London Business School/University of Glasgow (UK)
• London Business School (UK)
• INSEAD (France)
• IE University (Spain)
• LSE/UCL/Oxford Brookes (UK)
• ESSEC Business School (France)

Meet the finalists 

The teams will be assessed by a competition jury of senior pan-European real estate leaders, including:

• Sir Stuart Lipton, Partner, Lipton Rogers Developments;
• Lars Huber, CEO, Hines Europe;
• Brian Moran, Head of Ireland, Hines;
• Lisette van Doorn, CEO – Europe, ULI;
• Irina Stefanova, Global Head Real Estate and Facility Services, Novartis;
• Jorge Pérez de Leza, CEO, Metrovacesa;
• Juan José de Gracia Gonzalo, Land Managing Director, Madrid Region;
• Iñigo Ortiz, Co-founder, Ortiz Leon Architects.

Lars Huber, CEO of Hines Europe, said: “This is the third consecutive year we have run the competition in partnership with ULI, providing a platform for students across Europe to showcase their talent and innovation in responding to a real-life development challenge. The bar is raised each year and the commitment of Hines and ULI, supported by the participation of senior real estate leaders on the judging panel, is testimony to the gravitas and recognition of the competition by the industry.”

Lisette van Doorn, CEO of ULI Europe, said: “We have pushed the envelope even further this year, testing students’ knowledge on specific and very topical ESG matters that the industry is still grappling with, and their responses have demonstrated an exceptionally high standard of entries this year, with all the finalists providing an encouraging glimpse into an impressive pipeline of diverse talent coming into the industry.

“I am proud to count myself among the competition jury members and am looking forward to learning from the innovative and creative ideas of the next generation of leaders. Finally, I am very proud of our ongoing collaboration with Hines, a key corporate partner, in developing this competition, which I think represents a perfect snapshot of everything that ULI stands for, including in inspiring the next generation of leaders through education, mentoring and knowledge sharing, which is one of our three mission priorities.”

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Further details on ULI Hines Student Competition – Europe

Background to original ULI Hines Student Competition

• The ULI Hines Student Competition – Europe is affiliated with a U.S. version, which was established in 2002.
• Long-time ULI leader Gerald D. Hines, founder of the Hines real estate organisation, created the competition with a generous endowment after he received the ULI Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development in 2002.
• For further information about the original competition, visit: https://uli.org/hines.