Katarzyna Przybylska – Head of Advocacy, Habitat for Humanity Poland Specialist in developing and promoting effective legal regulations that improve the quality and accessibility of housing solutions. Advocate for decent places to live acting on behalf of citizens and entire social groups affected by housing problems. She is a specialist in the development and promotion of effective legislation to improve the quality and accessibility of housing solutions. She has been engaged in development of legal regulation on social rental agencies or strategy for deinstitutionalization of social services on the social side. She encourages decision-makers to take action to ensure the most effective provision of broad access to decent housing. Member of the Committee of Experts on Preventing Homelessness appointed by the Polish Ombudsman.

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.

Hajo Engelke started his professional career in corporate M&A banking with Deutsche Bank. He subsequently founded and scaled several start-ups. In 2019, he co-founded of Westbridge Advisory International to expand Westbridge outside of Germany. He also co-founded Westbridge Poland in 2022. The Westbridge group supports international real estate investors and asset managers across Europe in bringing their ESG strategy to life.

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.

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.

Kevin has over 23 years of experience in the property industry, with 17 of those active in the commercial real estate sector in CEE. As the Regional Director of Capital Markets for CEE, Kevin is responsible for delivering investment opportunities and a cohesive service offering to Colliers’ clients. The 35-strong regional investment team advises investors on acquisitions or disposals of existing and future real estate assets and portfolios across all property types. This advice is backed-up with robust market data and intelligence, and Kevin also oversees Colliers’ regional research and consultancy platform. Since joining Colliers in 2019, he has executed the rollout of a coordinated Central & Eastern European research product, including market studies, compositions, publications, and marketing activities.

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

Konrad currently holds the Associate Director position at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in Poland. He has 20 years of professional experience in corporate finance, having worked in Transaction Advisory at EY, in equity capital markets at Santander, and for the last 12 years at the EBRD where he is primarily engaged in structuring debt and equity investments in the Property & Tourism, TMT and Agribusiness sectors. Konrad is a graduate in International Economics and Finance and Banking at the Warsaw School of Economics and holds the CFA charter.

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.

Dorota has over 25 years of property market, finance, and banking experience. In 2018 she joined Colliers and is the Head of Corporate Finance & Living Services - CEE Department, which she has built from scratches and currently she holds position of Senior Partner, advising clients on debt financing, mezzanine financing, raising capital and capital partner acquisition, as well as supporting company acquisition or stock-market listing. Prior to this, Dorota spent 11 years as Senior Partner at Griffin Real Estate, where she was responsible for the Group’s management and investments, including the first mezzanine fund operating in Poland. Before joining Griffin, for over 10 years, she held director positions in the HypoVereinsbank/ UniCredit Group, and in their subsidiaries, being responsible for real estate investment banking and real estate finance. Dorota graduated from the Warsaw School of Economics (SGH), the University of Cologne, and the University of Duisburg-Essen. Dorota is an active member and a big contributor to the Urban Land Institute – the world’s oldest and largest network of cross-disciplinary real estate experts, with over 45,000 members. From 2018 till 2021 she acted as ULI Poland Chair, now she sits as a member on the ULI Poland Executive Committee. In 2020 she has joined the ULI Europe Executive Committee for a two-year term to oversee activities across the CEE region.

Economist, professor at the Business School of the Warsaw University of Technology and the Vistula University, chief economic advisor to PwC Polska. Former economic advisor to the president Aleksander Kwaśniewski, member of the National Development Council of the President and the Economic Council of the Government, chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Museum in Warsaw, Special Advisor to the European Commission. Lecturer in many academic institutions in Poland and abroad. Author of 16 books and 200 scientific publications, popular economic commentator and columnist of major Polish newspapers.

Sylvie Geuten is a Managing Partner and Board Member at Mitiska REIM. Besides the general Sylvie Geuten is a Managing Partner and Board Member at Mitiska REIM. Besides the general management responsibilities, Sylvie also acts as the Managing Director of Poland. She is also back-up Partner in Romania, Czech Republic, Slovakia & Bulgaria. Sylvie has an extensive background in retail, private equity and real estate, having previously worked at ExxonMobil, The Coca-Cola Company and Mitiska. Sylvie holds a degree in business engineering from the KU Leuven and a master’s degree in financial management from Vlerick Business School in Gent.

Andrei Martin is a partner at PLP Architecture with over 20 years’ experience of residential, commercial, and master planning projects in the UK, Europe, USA, China, and the Middle East. He is a co-founder of PLP Labs – a design research platform that operates at the intersection of people, technology, and the planet. Andrei is also a Senior Lecturer at the University of Westminster and a European Living Concepts Council Member at the Urban Land Institute. He is the editor of Another Kind: A Survey of the Possible City (Actar, 2021) and has published, lectured, and exhibited internationally. As a designer, researcher and educator, Andrei is interested in the potential of the built environment to transform human experience and reshape contemporary culture. Andrei’s experience includes a wide range of program types and project scales. He is particularly interested in hyper-mixed smart buildings - hybrid typologies that redefine the architecture of contemporary living and working.

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.

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.

Following graduation from Warsaw School of Economics (SGH) and Warsaw University Maciej started his banking carrier in 1997. He has been working for Bank of America, later for Bank Austria Creditanstalt, and then, in 2002 taken over the responsibility for the Corporate Banking Product Development and Marketing Department at Bank BPH. 16 years ago he has moved into the field of commercial real estate as a Director of Commercial Real Estate Finance Department at Bank BPH. From January 2007 until December 2014 Maciej opened and managed Representative Office of Westdeutsche ImmobilienBank in Warsaw. Since January 2015 until March 2021, Maciej led Griffin Property Finance (GPF), a commercial real estate debt fund, one of the first and very few non-bank real estate lenders operating in Poland and CEE. Since March 2021, Maciej has taken over the position of Managing Director Europe at Fortress REIT Limited. Maciej holds a Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) license number 19991 and has completed a prestigious Advanced Management Program at IESE Business School, University of Navarra.

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.