MIT/CRE Meet the Visionaries

In this episode, Eric Plesman, President & CEO of Oxford Properties, challenges prevailing narratives on institutional real estate investing. We dig into whether permanent pension capital changes investment decisions, what separates trophy office from secular decline, and why patient capital makes you behave differently than investors operating on defined timelines. Join us as we discuss Oxfor...

Mark G. Roberts, MSRED alumnus, Managing Director of Research at Crow Holdings Capital, and Director of Research at SMU's Folsom Institute, joins us to unpack his 2026 real estate outlook — and the conversation goes well beyond the report.   We dig into why he's calling 2026 a "bifurcated" market and what that means for capital allocation. We pressure-test his 4.15 to 4.30 percen...

In this episode, MSRED student Cherry Tang sits down with MSRED alumnus Carlos Rosso, Founder & President of Rosso Development. Carlos Rosso shares his journey from Argentina to MIT to lead developer shaping Miami's skyline. After decades building across multiple continents and navigating the 2008 financial crisis at Related Group, he launched his independent firm and is still applying les...

In this episode of Meet the Visionaries , interviewer Monisha Nasa speaks with Hossein Fateh , founder and CEO of Cloud Capital and CloudHQ , about the future of digital infrastructure. Drawing on decades of experience in developing and operating data centers worldwide, Fateh discusses how the industry has evolved from cloud to AI, the differences between training and inference AI facilities, and...

In this episode of  Meet the Visionaries , MIT Center for Real Estate students Ryan Othman and Jainil Shah sit down with David DesPrez, Partner on Bain Capital’s Special Situations team, to explore how one of the industry’s leading investors navigates real estate dislocation across debt and equity. David shares how Bain approaches capital solutions, distressed investing, and platform-based real es...

In this episode of Meet the Visionaries, Jainil Shah sits down with Nirupa Shankar, Joint Managing Director of Brigade Group, for a wide-ranging conversation on leadership, strategy, and building resilience in India’s real estate and hospitality markets. Drawing on her experience across consulting, hospitality, and development—as well as her discipline as an Ironman triathlete—Nirupa reflects on h...

MSRED candidate Michael Khamis welcomes David Steinbach, Global Chief Investment Officer at Hines, to MIT’s Center for Real Estate for an in-person conversation. David made the trip from Houston to Cambridge to sit down with our students and share his perspective on the forces reshaping global real estate. With more than 25 years at Hines and oversight of a platform that has grown from roughly $10...

In this episode of  Meet the Visionaries , MIT/CRE student Monisha Nasa sits down with Susan Uthayakumar, Chief Energy and Sustainability Officer at Prologis, one of the world’s largest logistics real estate company. Susan shares her career journey leading to her role in global sustainability at Prologis. She outlines how Prologis is transforming logistics real estate through sustainable design, o...

In this episode of Meet the Visionaries, Jainil Shah sits down with Adam Gordon, Managing Partner at Wildflower, for a thoughtful conversation on real estate investing, design-led development, and building enduring platforms in complex urban environments. Adam shares how Wildflower approaches investment through a deep understanding of demand, long-term trends, and human behavior. The discussion ex...

In this episode of Meet the Visionaries, Jainil Shah sits down with Sally Ann Flood, U.S. Real Estate Sector Leader at Deloitte, for a thoughtful conversation on navigating today’s real estate cycle with judgment and conviction. Drawing on her research and decades of experience across multiple market cycles, Sally Ann shares why the current moment represents a pause rather than a stop, how leaders...

In this episode of Meet the Visionaries, MSRED student Michael Khamis speaks with MaryAnne Gilmartin, Founder and CEO of MAG Partners, about what it means to build cities with conviction, purpose, and long-term vision. MaryAnne traces her path from public service in New York City’s economic development ecosystem to leading transformative real estate projects in the city, including the Barclays Cen...

In this episode, we meet with Chris Bilotto, Executive Vice President at The RMR Group, and President & CEO of both Diversified Healthcare Trust and Service Properties Trust. With leadership roles spanning healthcare real estate, hospitality, and a diverse portfolio of operating properties, Chris shares how he navigates the complexities of managing large, dynamic real estate platforms. From le...

In this episode, host Michael Khamis, a student in the MIT Master of Science in Real Estate Development program, sits down with EvanRegan-Levine, Chief Strategy Officer at JBG SMITH (NYSE: JBGS)—one of the most influential real estate owners and developers in the Washington, D.C. region. Together, they explore how JBG SMITH is reshaping urban districts through data-driven strategy, digital infrast...

In this episode, Shotaro Fujisawa, founder of Yamori (ヤモリ), joins us to discuss how his Tokyo-based startup is reimagining Japan’s housing market. Founded in 2019, Yamori tackles Japan’s growing vacant-home crisis by acquiring and rehabilitating underused properties, turning them into affordable rentals for overlooked groups such as foreign workers, single-parent families, and young renters. Be...

In this episode MSRED students Isabelle Turri and Cherry Tang sit down with David Blumenfeld, Co-Founder of NextRivet, to explore how technology and data-driven strategy are reshaping the real estate industry. From uncovering the true operational needs of Real Estate firms to crafting tailored tech solutions that enhance decision-making and efficiency, David shares how NextRivet’s consultative app...

In this episode, architect and urban planner Janet Marie Smith joins us to reflect on her career shaping some of baseball’s most beloved ballparks. Her work has redefined the role of sports venues as engines of urban vitality and cultural identity. At Oriole Park, Janet Marie helped pioneer the “retro” ballpark movement that reconnected stadiums with their urban surroundings. In Boston, she led th...

In this episode of Meet the Visionaries, MSRED student Michael Khamis sits down with Jay Parsons, one of the industry’s renowned rental housing economists and strategists,  for a deep dive into the forces shaping housing and capital markets in 2025 and beyond. From the ripple effects of immigration policy on construction labor and project feasibility to the rent slowdown, shifting housing policy,...

In this episode, we sit down with Aun Abdullah, Vice President of Lodha Group and head of the Environment and Sustainable Urbanization agenda at the Lodha Foundation. Aun leads the Net Zero Urban Accelerator, a partnership between Lodha and the RMI India Foundation, and his work spans every scale of the built environment—from ultra-efficient buildings to the design of Palava, a planned urban towns...

In this episode, we welcome the dynamic and inspiring Nicholas Edelman, CEO and Founder of surf park development company Aventuur. Aventuur is on a mission is to create exceptional surfing destinations and experiences that generate meaningful social and economic value. To do this, the company's secured the rights to the world’s leading wave-generating technology – the Wavegarden Cove – in mark...

In the final episode of season two, we meet with Gregory Dewerpe, the Founder and Partner of NOA (formerly A/O), Europe's leading venture capital firm pioneering the transformation of the real estate and construction industries. Driven by a critical mission to decarbonize the built world and enhance its sustainability, Gregory brings a visionary and investment-focused perspective to identifying an...

This episode features MIT alum Dave Burt, CFA, Founder and CEO of DeltaTerra Capital, who is at the forefront of quantifying the growing risks the climate crisis poses to real estate and mortgage markets. Drawing on his background in managing a global macro portfolio as a Partner at BlueMountain Capital Management and his strategic leadership at Bain & Company, Dave offers a uniquely rigorous,...

In this episode, we're incredibly excited to welcome Brad Hargreaves and Paul Stanton of Thesis Driven. Thesis Driven's flagship online newsletter is widely considered one of the more thought-provoking and well-written real estate publications today, diving deep into emerging real estate themes, technologies, and funding models. The brand has grown in the past few years to include a podcas...

In this episode, we're honored to host one of the preeminent voices in commercial real estate today, Willy Walker. Willy is Chairman and CEO of Walker & Dunlop. Under his leadership, Walker & Dunlop has grown from a small, family-owned business to become one of the largest commercial real estate finance and advisory firms in the United States and internationally. Walker & Dunlop is...

Greg MacKinnon, Director of Research at the Pension Real Estate Association (PREA) and a long time collaborator of the MIT Center for Real Estate, joins us on this episode of the Meet the Visionaries Podcast. Drawing on PREA’s deep industry reach and rigorous consensus forecasting, Greg offers a panoramic view of how shifts in capital markets, technology, and investor behavior are reshaping real e...

In this episode, we sit down with Elena Alschuler, Head of Sustainability for the Americas at LaSalle. She acts as a central leader for sustainability and climate risk initiatives across all asset classes and investment products, collaborating closely with Portfolio Management, Transactions and Asset Management.  Elena shares the business case behind sustainable real estate—how robust data, energy...