Emmanuel de Lanversin (Director General, SemPariSeine) and Francisco Horta e Costa (Managing Director, CBRE) have been named the new chairmen for ULI France and ULI Portugal, respectively. Their terms began on 1 July and they will serve on a voluntary basis for the next two years.

Emmanuel de Lanversin

As Chairman of ULI France, Lanversin hopes to raise the organisation’s public profile and retain and grow membership.  “ULI is the French real estate industry’s best kept secret,” he said.  “My top priority is to enhance the reputation of ULI in France and to become the organisation of choice for land use and real estate professionals.”

Lanversin also plans to further develop ULI France’s Product Councils, forums for industry experts to exchange ideas and foster thought leadership in specific market sectors. “Product Councils are one of the most valuable aspects of ULI membership,” said Lanversin. “They foster a candid exchange of best practices, giving participants an opportunity to learn from one another and expand their knowledge in their respective sectors.”

Under Lanversin, ULI France will address France’s most pressing issues in real estate and land development, particularly housing. “Our hope is that ULI will become one of the foremost thought leaders contributing solutions to France’s housing problem,” he said.

Lanversin became Director General at SemiPariSeine in 2013. Prior to this role, he was responsible for planning, infrastructure and environmental issues in the office of the Mayor of Paris.  An engineer and an architect, he has 25 years of professional experience at private companies, local authorities and government departments in the areas of construction, urban development and transport.

Francisco Horta e Costa

Horta e Costa’s main goals as Chairman of ULI Portugal will be to raise awareness of ULI in the Portuguese real estate market and to grow membership in both size and quality. “I hope to position ULI as the forum for discussion of best practices and knowledge sharing, and as the leading land use organisation in Portugal,” he said.

As Chairman, Horta e Costa also plans to address the many issues surrounding land development. “Together with key decision-makers, we will play an active role in enhancing sustainable and responsible development in Portugal,” he said.

After a beginning his career at Citibank, Horta e Costa worked for a Spanish construction company (Agroman/Ferrovial) where he was responsible for the treasury department. He then spent 10 years at CBRE, nearly seven of which he spent as Head of Investment. In September 2008 he joined Norfin, a Portuguese fund manager with circa €1bn of assets under management, as International and Commercial Director, and Board Member of the company in Spain. Horta e Costa re-joined CBRE in November 2009 as Senior Director, coordinating contacts with institutional investors in various business areas, with a focus on Capital Markets.