Senior Fellow, at the German Marshall Fund of the United States
Bruno Lété currently serves as a senior fellow at The German Marshall Fund of the United States in Brussels. He provides analysis and foresight on trends in geopolitics and international affairs. He focuses primarily on NATO, transatlantic defense cooperation, developments in Eastern Europe and the Black Sea region, and the geopolitics of tech. Since 2022, he is also a visiting professor at the College of Europe in Bruges teaching EU-U.S. relations in the 21st century.
Prior in 2010, Lété joined the European Union Delegation to the United States in Washington, DC, where he supported the political, security, and development section. relations. He started his career in 2007 as a program associate for the German Marshall Fund, where he helped develop GMF’s signature policy conferences.
Bruno Lété studied at the University of Ghent in Belgium and at Collegium Civitas University in Warsaw, Poland. He holds a bachelor's in communication management and a master's in international relations. He appears regularly in the media and is the author of frequent opinion pieces and policy briefs. Throughout his career he assumed extracurricular and advisory roles for the Foreign Policy Association in New York City, the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the European Business Summit & the Antwerp America Foundation.
Real Estate Transaction Manager at MEAG
Gwenola Porschberger is based in Germany and has been responsible for real estate transactions (acquisitions and divestments) for real estate funds at MEAG in Munich, Germany since 2006. MEAG is the asset manager for Munich Re group and ERGO group.
Ms. Porschberger is also in charge of assets in the office and logistics sectors for France and Benelux.
From 2003 to 2006, she worked as a credit analyst for the French market at Aareal Bank in Wiesbaden. She came to Germany as part of a Franco-German double degree program in International Business.
In 2022, MEAG acquired the Poincaré building (purchased from Redet) located at Gare du Midi in Brussels. In 2021-2022, the German fund divested the Omega portfolio, which consisted of three office assets also located in Brussels.
Finally, in 2023, MEAG made a significant acquisition in the Belgian capital: the City Center office building located at the corner of Rue Neuve, Rue des Cendres, and Jardin Botanique, right next to City 2. It was purchased from AG Insurance (represented by AG Real Estate).
CEO at SFPIM
Koen Van Loo started his career at the Conseil Central de l’Economie (Central Economic Council). In 1999, he joined the Office of the Belgian Minster of Finance. He was appointed “Director of the cabinet” in 2003.
Since November 2006, Koen Van Loo is the CEO at the Federal Holding and Investment Company (SFPIM), a 20 billion EUR assets under management company and the so-called Sovereign Wealth fund of Belgium.
Koen Van Loo is chairman, non-executive director and observer of several Belgian companies.
Koen Van Loo holds degrees from the University of Leuven (KULeuven) in Applied Economics and Tax law.
Director for the Office for Infrastructure and Logistics (OIB) at European Commission
Marc Becquet is Director for the Office for Infrastructure and Logistics in Brussels (OIB). Mr Becquet has a solid professional experience within the human resources domainas well as building policy, security and safety. He held numerous positions in the Directorate-General for Human Resources and Security and in the Joint Research Centre (JRC).
He has been Director of the Office for Infrastructure and Logistics in Luxembourg since November 2016.
Founding Partner at Growth Inc.
Peter is a well-known commentator in Belgian newspapers and magazines, and on social media. He is a critical observer/analyst of Belgian and European economic policy and is known to regularly ruffle a few feathers.
In 2016, the former chief economist for Petercam and BNP Paribas Fortis decided that it was time to become an entrepreneur and founded his strategic communication bureau, Growth Inc. The agency helps customers to have a sustainable influence on our rapidly changing society. On the right people, institutions, companies and eventually the whole of society. He will be releasing a book about this in 2020. His innovative and sometimes radical ideas allow De Keyzer to get most audiences thinking about the society of tomorrow and how you can help to construct it as an individual, company or organisation.
Head of Asset Management Benelux at AXA IM Real Assets
As Head of Asset Management Benelux at AXA IM Real Assets, Christophe Mignot is responsible for a team based in Brussels and Amsterdam that manages a portfolio of +- €4.7 billion of office, retail, hotel, logistics and residential assets.
He holds a master's degree in business and financial administration from ICHEC, is lecturer on ESG at VUB-Solvay Business School’s Executive Master in Real Estate and is an active member of the ESG Commission and board of directors of the Belgian real estate sector association (UPSI-BVS). Since March 2023, he joined the board of directors and investment committee of Home Invest Belgium, a BE-REIT specialized in residential real estate. He previously worked for Patrizia SE and started his career at the brokerage company Catella Property Group.
Head of Project & Development Services EMEA at JLL
As the Head of Project & Development Services (PDS) EMEA at JLL, Walid lead a diverse and talented team of 1500 professionals who deliver best-in-class services in development advisory, project and cost management, building consultancy, engineering design, and sustainability and net zero carbon consulting. With over 18 years of experience in the real estate industry, he has a proven track record of managing and advising on value-add projects and new business development across Europe, Middle East, and Africa.
His mission is to regenerate the built environment in a sustainable and responsible manner, creating long-lasting value for our clients, partners, and communities.
Managing Director at Immobel Belgium & Luxembourg
Adel Yahia is the Managing Director of Immobel Belgium and Luxembourg. He currently leads a team of about a hundred people and ensures the health and development of Immobel's portfolio, valued at around 3 billion euros. Passionate about his job, Adel Yahia also focuses on training and evolving his teams. Integrating societal aspects into Immobel's vision is another one of his priorities.
He joined Immobel in 2017, where he was recruited as Director of Development.
With a degree in law, he also pursued a master's in general management at Vlerick Business School, not to mention his time at Solvay and KU Leuven. This combination of education opened his eyes to the real estate sector, which he finds fascinating for its ability to "create something from scratch and have an influence on the built environment of a city."
Adel Yahia is a lecturer at KU Leuven, VUB, and Saint-Louis.
Partner at Baltisse Real Estate Investments
Alexander van Ravels, Partner at Baltisse Real Estate Investments, is responsible for the company’s real estate portfolio.
He joined the Ghent-based investment firm at the end of 2021. The firm has its offices in Belgium and Luxembourg and is also active CEE and the USA.
With a Master’s degree in Financial Management from Vlerick Management School, his areas of expertise include offices, industrial and residential real estate.
Previously, he was a member of the Executive Committee of CBRE Belgium & Luxembourg, where he led the Capital Markets department for six years.
He advised Belgian and international investors and developers on commercial real estate transactions and has a track record of approximately 6.3 million euros worth of transactions.
ESG Associate at JLL
David is a registered valuer with experience in the commercial market, valuing a range of assets across the UK and Europe, with a particular focus on retail. David recently authored JLL’s global insight paper on valuing the impact of sustainability in the retail sector, he now specialises in providing market leading advice on the impact of ESG Risk on property valuations across EMEA commercial markets.
Chair of ULI Belgium & Luxembourg and CEO at Nextensa
Michel Van Geyte holds a master’s degree in applied economics and a postgraduate diploma in real estate studies from the Catholic University of Leuven, and a master’s degree in corporate finance from the Vlerick Business School. Michel Van Geyte has been with the Group since August 2004. First as Commercial Director (COO) and since 2018 as CEO, following the retirement of the former CEO.
He has over 20 years’ experience in real estate. Since 2009, Mr. Van Geyte has also taught several real estate-related courses at the Catholic University of Leuven.
Head of Capital Markets BeLux at JLL
Vincent is the new Head of Capital Markets BeLux at JLL.
He brings 16 years of Real Estate experience and 7 in his previous position. Since he joined King Sturge in 2007 and integrated JLL in 2011, he has been instrumental in strengthening our Capital Markets business, showing incredible leadership, expertise and commitment to deliver the best for our clients. Vincent represents the level of excellence, required to advise our customers in today’s fast-changing real estate world.
Equity Research Analyst – Listed Real Estate at Kepler Cheuvreux
Frédéric Renard is an Equity research analyst at Kepler Cheuvreux, an independent brokerage firm that provides buying and selling advice to institutional investors on the equity market. Frédéric is specialized in the listed real estate sector that he has covered for almost 6 years. Frédéric began his professional experience at PwC where he worked as an auditor in the financial services department for real estate and banking clients for nearly four years.
Later at CBRE, he served as an associate director responsible for determining the value of assets in various real estate sectors such as residential, office, semi-industrial, logistics, and retail.
Passionate about finance, Frédéric Renard pursued the three levels of the CFA program, considered the "Finance Bible" internationally, after completing his studies.
With a longstanding interest in sports, he also spent some time seeking sponsorship for the Xterra Belgium competition, an international triathlon held in natural environments. Until last year, he was still playing football and now has a preference for tennis and paddle.
He will be discussing the publicly traded market, as well as the current undemanding valuation observed in this uncertain period, with discussion on what is a good target in terms of acquisition.
Head of EMEA Research & Strategy at JLL
Tom is responsible for guiding the strategic vision and organisation of EMEA research team. He serves as a member of the firm’s Global Research Executive Board and closely collaborates with JLL’s Americas and APAC regions to bring the best of JLL’s research to its global and national clients.
With more than 15 years of experience in the real estate industry, Tom is passionate about helping clients navigate the new trends in real estate and contributes regularly to JLL’s Client Advisory Board. Based in London, Tom oversees a number of research programmes at JLL.
Tom is a graduate of the University of Leeds and regularly appears at international conferences, including MIPIM, ExpoReal, CoreNet, Worktech, and the CBI. He chairs and participates in leading industry events and is a sought-after expert who frequently appears in the media including the BBC, Financial Times, The Economist and The Times.
Country Lead & Head of Project & Development Services at JLL Belgium and Luxembourg
Sebastien started working with JLL at the end of 2022.
As Head of P&DS Belux he brings a structured approach across the business (vision, strategy, execution, metrics, etc) and consistently delivers results aligned with expectations.
In his role as Country Leader, Sebastien’s focus is to provide exceptional client service and drive growth in Belux. He plays a pivotal role in leading the delivery of JLL’s integrated investment and corporate client solutions and boost our One JLL platform across Belux and the broader EMEA region. A strong ESG advocate, Sebastien’s understanding of the role of the built environment in the decarbonization journey plays a key role in supporting our clients’ sustainability ambitions.
Sebastien is French and has 18+ years experience working internationally with a succesful track-record of leading multi-discipline teams in delivering challenging projects through hands-on approach, strong technical knowledge and adaptive human skills.
Prior to working with JLL, Sebastien was PMCM Director Belgium & Luxemburg with AECOM. His project experience with AECOM included the refurbishment of the Belgian Corporate HQ of a Tier-1 Tech Company as well as the Dutch Corporate Headquarters of Deutsche Bank in Amsterdam. He was also involved as Project Director in the creation of a logistics hub & office building for the Alibaba Group in Liège.
Sebastien also has a large international experience which also brought him to Malta where he was responsible for the day-to-day project & construction management of a 17km² multi-use complex (Hilltop Gardens) with luxury units, a nursing home, restaurants, spa,... Another project in Malta (Valletta) was the costruction of the new Maltese Parliament Building / rehabilitation of the Royal Opera House.