At a Crossraods: Lessons from Global Real Estate
11:30 AM - 12:20 PM | Aldrich Hall | Breakout Session
Panel Director: Mitch Lazerus, MRE ‘25
The global real estate industry stands at a pivotal moment. From shifting capital flows and rising interest rates to the impacts of climate change and evolving patterns of urbanization, the forces shaping real estate markets today are more complex—and more interconnected—than ever before. This panel brings together industry leaders and investors to explore how geopolitical uncertainty, technological innovation, and changing consumer behavior are reshaping real estate investment and development across asset classes and geographies. What regions and sectors are poised for growth? How are developers and capital allocators adapting their strategies in the face of volatility? And what long-term trends will define the built environment over the next decade? Join us for a forward-looking discussion on what’s next for global real estate.
Moderator and Panelists:
Moderator: Dr. Bing Wang
Associate Professor in Practice of Real Estate and the Built Environment | GSD
Dr. Bing Wang is Associate Professor in Practice of Real Estate and the Built Environment at Harvard University, where she co-chairs the Real Estate Management: Design, Finance and Leadership program (Harvard GSD + HBS) and the Advanced Real Estate Development program. A global educator and advisor, she has taught at the University of Cambridge, Tsinghua University, and other top institutions worldwide. Dr. Wang bridges academia and industry as a scholar, investor, and developer. She previously advised Lehman Brothers, founded two real estate private equity firms, and led $1.1B in urban real estate investments across Asia and the U.S. Her work spans 980 acres of master planning and over 6.7M sq. ft. of development. She serves on multiple boards and has published five books and numerous award-winning research manuscripts.
Julien Romanet
Senior Director Investments | Confidential Company
Julien Romanet brings over 20 years of experience in private equity real estate, with a focus on cross-border investments between the Middle East and global markets. A French national, he holds dual Master’s degrees in Civil Engineering (UCLA) and International Strategy (ESSEC). Julien has led approximately $3 billion in closed investments across office, income-generating, and residential development assets, leveraging both conventional and Shariah-compliant finance. His work spans France, Luxembourg, Russia, Oman, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia, where he recently led the investment arm of a multi-billion-dollar development. Now based in the Kingdom, he advises private capital navigating GCC markets. A member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Julien is also an alum of HBS’s Real Estate Management Program and a current participant in Harvard GSD’s Advanced Management and Development Program.
Erez Cohen
Co-founder & CEO | GDI Industrial
Erez Cohen is a real estate investor and developer. He is co-founder & CEO of GDI Industrial, a development firm based in Mexico. He previously held positions at Thor, Apollo, Carlyle and Evercore. In 18+ years, he has been involved in more than US$5.0B of RE deals in US and LatAm across all sectors. Erez is also author of Real Estate Titans, a national bestselling book. He is a Board Member of ULI, received a ULI Rising Star and a Top 40 under 40 Award. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from Manhattan College and Bucksbaum Fellow MBA from Wharton.
Michael Piro
Chief Executive Officer and Board Member | Indochina Capital Corporation
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer | Wink Hotels
Director and Board Member | Indochina Kajima Development
Michael Piro is one of Asia’s leading real estate professionals, who brings 20 years fund management, M&A, mixed use development and asset management to his role as Indochina Capital’s CEO and Wink Hotel’s Co-Founder and CEO. Michael is a dynamic professional who has directly overseen transactions across a variety of sectors with a value of more than $1.5 billion, while also being actively involved in the planning and development of over US$2 billion worth of high-end real estate in Vietnam.
Michael is a founding director and board member of Indochina-Kajima Development Corp., a joint venture between Indochina Capital and Japan’s Kajima Corporation which has $1 billion development portfolio of commercial, industrial and hospitality assets in Vietnam.
Michael is a chartered surveyor who holds a degree in Urban Land Economics from the University of British Columbia and a diploma of Technology with a major in Commercial Real Estate from the British Columbia Institute of Technology. Michael is a member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors and a member of ULI Asia Pacific Management Committee.
Kai Yan Lee
Regional CEO | JD Property
Mr. Kai-yan Lee is the Regional CEO of JD Property, overseeing its business in Europe and Americas. With ~300 million square feet of assets in its portfolio, JD Property is one of the largest global owners and developers in logistic and industrial real estate. It’s the subsidiary of the Global Fortune 50 company, JD.com. Kai brings more than two decades of real estate, investment, and financial market experiences across asset types, geographies, and risk profiles. Prior to joining JD Property, Kai spent a decade building and running the US subsidiary for Vanke, a Global Fortune 500 company, from its inception and grew it to US$ 6+ billion AUM. Earlier in his career, Kai also worked at the World Economic Forum and the Federal Reserve System. Kai obtained his masters degrees from Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and his bachelor degree with highest honor from University of California, Berkeley. Kai enjoys long distance running and has run at least one half-marathon in all 50 states in the US.