Property research veteran Simon Durkin is set to succeed Lisette van Doorn as the Urban Land Institute's chief executive, Europe, next month.
Durkin is joining ULI from BlackRock Investment Management, where he was part of the senior leadership team as global head of real estate research and strategy. BlackRock has its global headquarters at Hudson Yards in New York.
Durkin has more than two decades of experience spanning real estate, applied research and capital markets, with senior leadership and investment committee roles at BlackRock, BNP Paribas and DWS. ULI is a non-profit education and research institute working to "shape the future of the built environment for transformative impact in communities worldwide" and has more than 48,000 members worldwide representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines.
ULI said Durkin, who was director of analytics at CoStar for more than three years, is "recognised for combining analytical rigour, industry leading capital markets experience with practical, real-world" insight.
It added that he will work closely with the team on "sharpening ULI’s value proposition for members from across the full built environment ecosystem" as he ensures ULI’s research and insights "continue to support informed decision-making" across the built environment.
He joins the ULI senior leadership team of Angela Cain, global CEO, and will work closely with Anne Kavanagh, ULI Europe chair and ULI global board member, and the ULI Europe Executive Committee, as well as collaborate with the chairs of ULI Europe’s 15 national councils, 14 product councils, and the Young Leader and NEXT groups.
Van Doorn recently left ULI after more than a decade at the helm, during which it says she built up a strong team and significantly strengthened its profile, influence and member engagement across Europe.
"ULI Europe is built on a strong foundation and has an increasingly important role to play as the real estate and built environment evolve..."
Durkin said in a statement: "ULI Europe is built on a strong foundation and has an increasingly important role to play as the real estate and built environment evolve amid structural, macroeconomic and geopolitical change.
"My priority is to work closely with the team, building on the legacy Lisette has created, ensuring ULI continues to adapt while remaining a trusted, credible and valuable resource for our members.
"That means sharpening our focus, strengthening alignment across our work, and deepening our emphasis on insight, learning and convening, creating the space for informed discussion and debate that supports better long-term decision-making and resilient value creation."
Cain added: "We are delighted to welcome Simon to ULI, he brings a rare combination of strategic clarity, commercial understanding and deep respect for evidence-based insight. His leadership will strengthen ULI Europe’s relevance and impact at a time when the industry needs trusted perspective and long-term thinking, more than ever."