Washington – Peter Ballon, global head of real estate for CPP Investments, has been appointed as the new global chair of the Urban Land Institute (ULI).
Ballon will serve on a voluntary basis for a two-year term and will provide member leadership as the institute focuses on three new global mission priorities: decarbonizing the real estate sector and targeting net zero, educating the next generation of diverse real estate leaders, and increasing housing attainability in communities around the world. All three priorities will be underpinned by a commitment and focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
In addition to Ballon’s appointment, the institute also elected five members to its global board of directors.
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“I am honored to follow in the path of many leaders in the real estate industry and serve as ULI’s global chair,” says Ballon. “ULI is a member-driven organization and I see my role very much as a steward of the institute. I will focus my efforts on delivering our mission and shaping our programs in the way that our members want to see them implemented.”
“Peter is a very accomplished real estate leader with extensive experience of leading global organizations,” says Ed Walter, ULI’s global CEO. “Peter’s insights and guidance will be invaluable to ULI as we continue with our global expansion and explore new ways to make an impact in communities worldwide.”
ULI will approach decarbonizing the real estate sector by implementing the “Net Zero Imperative,” funded by ULI’s immediate past global chair, Owen Thomas, and other member donors. The program will deliver five Advisory Services activities each year that will help cities determine how to accelerate decarbonization, with the aggregate best practices and learnings shared throughout ULI’s networks.
ULI will look to increase the number of housing permits and starts in target cities around the world by 2025, by providing its members with targeted and applicable best practice information. ULI will develop and fund a “Focus on Housing” program that combines Advisory Services panels and research to create a compendium of best practices that can guide cities to develop solutions to create more housing.
ULI will target connecting 50,000 students and young professionals, with a focus on people from diverse backgrounds, to ULI and the real estate industry by 2024 as part of its commitment to educate the next generation of diverse leaders.
“Perhaps the greatest challenge and where real estate has an outsized influence is climate change. ULI can be a thought leader, helping the real estate world address that challenge and turn it from a negative to a great opportunity for all stakeholders in the industry,” comments Ballon.
“Affordable housing is becoming more and more a challenge as wealth disparity grows,” continues Ballon. “Finding a better way to ensure that more people have access to affordable housing is a goal, and an opportunity, for all real estate stakeholders. Each city has its own unique challenges, but the need for a solution is global and needs to be addressed immediately.”
“Finally, a third goal which ULI members have told us is among their top priorities is education. An important part of ULI’s mandate is to ensure that we share what we know, but also to ensure that the organization is addressing a wide audience, not solely the pre-existing real estate stakeholders. We need to welcome a new diverse group of members. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are critical to ULI achieving its goals and its broader mandate,” concludes Ballon.
The five members appointed to Global Board of Directors are Benjamin Cha, chief executive, Grosvenor, Hong Kong; Jon Geanakos, executive managing director, global co-head/investor client relations, JLL Capital Markets, Boston; Faron Hill, new chair of the ULI Foundation and president, Peregrine Oak, Atlanta; Teng Chye Khoo, new chair of ULI Asia Pacific and professor, National University of Singapore, Singapore; and Kavindi Wickremage, managing director, real estate, Bain Capital, Boston.