Alexandre joined ULI Belgium & Luxembourg over four years ago, just as he was starting his career in the real estate industry. Before joining AG Real Estate, Alexandre worked in the private equity sector in London.

Congratulations on being selected as chair of ULI Belgium & Luxembourg Young Leaders. Why are you taking on this position and what do you hope to achieve?

Thank you. I am thrilled and honoured to have been trusted to lead the Young Leaders in Belgium and Luxembourg. I joined the ULI Young Leaders four years ago and I was impressed by the quality of the events, speakers, topics, venues and, above all, the members’ willingness and energy to work together towards a better future for the industry.

Step by step, we are hopefully entering a post-Covid period. It is time for us, ULI members, to meet again and continue to learn from each other. For almost two years, there hasn’t been the opportunity for young professionals in our industry to meet, exchange, debate and share experiences in person.

The first months of my term will not only be focused on reconnecting our members, but also on reaching out to young professionals who started their real estate careers during the Covid period. They haven’t had the opening to meet their peers and build their network. ULI was a springboard to build my network and understand the industry. I will make sure that the next generation gets the same opportunity.

What is the role of ULI in helping members understand and embrace the challenges of the industry?

ULI is extremely integrated, meaning that our members come from a wide range of backgrounds, functions and disciplines (from the public and the private sector, they can be lawyers, investors, developers, consultants…). It allows us to stay ahead of an ever-evolving industry and keep an edge on the challenges that we are facing. One of the main tools we have to keep that edge is our strong foundation in Belgium and Luxembourg with a host of different events, Product Councils and members. ULI being an international organisation, we can also take advantage of the vast network of members from around the globe and learn from their challenges, experiences and achievements.

Are there any subjects that you want to address during your term?

Our industry is extremely broad and complex and we have multiple objectives for the next few years; so there are, naturally, many to choose from. Here are some of our major priorities for the next two years:  

First, we aim to leverage international connections. As I mentioned earlier, being part of an international organisation gives us an enormous amount of tools to cope with the domestic challenges we face. Therefore, I will continue to strengthen relations with our Young Leaders counterparts from the other European countries in order to organise joint and cross border events. This year’s ULI European Conference will be hosted in Brussels and provides the perfect opportunity to welcome and (re)connect with European Young Leaders. 

Secondly, strengthening the relationships between the Young Leaders from the public and private sectors is another key focus. I believe we have to work together to shape and build our cities in the best interest of their users (workers, residents etc…). I am convinced that we, as Young Leaders, should facilitate these relationships in order to understand the challenges and objectives of each other and, step by step, find common ground. Again, we can look to the broader ULI network to highlight and model examples of private-public relationships in other countries. 

Finally, the Young Leaders group can be the link between students, young professionals and “decision-makers” in our industry. I believe that students and young professionals should be part of the conversation on the future of our cities since they are the end-users. In addition, in the extremely fast-paced period in which we are living, the younger generation has different expectations in terms of working, living, entertaining, travelling and commuting. Integrating Belgian and Luxembourgish students in some of our “think-thank” events will be key to understanding these fresh perspectives. 

Is there anything you would like to add?

I strongly believe that we, as real estate professionals, have a tremendous impact on how people live, work and commute, which comes with a responsibility towards the users of our cities and the next generations. Collective intelligence is extremely important in this process and ULI, being one of the largest built environment think tanks, is the perfect platform to enhance the discussion.

This will be possible thanks to all the Young Leaders board members, who are the backbone of our network and will organize the different activities of the 2021-2022 season. I take this opportunity to thank them for their commitment and motivation.