The movers and shakers in the mix!

The nominations for the Real Estate Personality of the Year for 2024 can now be revealed! As usual, this year’s long list is made up of eleven individuals who represent all segments of the Polish property market and whose achievements have dazzled us over the last twelve months. From this, the eminent experts on the Eurobuild Awards Jury will select a shortlist of three for the guests of the Awards Gala to vote on. Make sure you are there at the DoubleTree by Hilton Warsaw on November 22nd to click your voting devices and choose this year’s top personality!

Arkadiusz Rudzki – executive vice-president of leasing and sales, Skanska Commercial Development Europe

ESG standards are now the norm on the office development market, but Skanska was one of the pioneers when it came to introducing them to the CEE region and is still pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved in this area. The success the company continues to have in leasing and selling its buildings under Arkadiusz’s direction is a testament to this. In the last twelve months, it has sold the first phase of H2Offices in Budapest, Nowy Rynek E in Poznań and Studio B in Warsaw.

Michał Ćwikliński – regional managing director for the EMEA region, principal and managing director for Poland, Avison Young

Michał was appointed to launch Avison Young in Poland in 2017. Since then, the company has continued its impressive expansion in the country with a recently launched industrial agency to add to its office agency and investment, valuation and technical advisories, while constantly acquiring new talent for the whole team. This year, Michał has been promoted to lead Avison Young in the wider EMEA Region. Most recently, the firm opened new branches in Croatia and Greece as well as expanding its operations in France and Germany. Currently, Avison Young is active in 14 countries, of which eleven are in mainland Europe.

Tomasz Szewczyk – managing partner, Acteeum Group

The retail park sector has been going from strength to strength – and one of the leading players in professionalising the Polish market has been Acteeum Group.

Under Tomasz’s leadership, in partnership with recognizable co-investors such as Equilis, Falcon Investment Management or BIG Shopping Centers, the group has developed in recent years several significant shopping centres – fitting into regional power-center format. All the undertaken projects – whether already completed or currently under development - are being successfully acquired by the main industry retail portfolio investors, with recently opened OTO Park Koszalin, BIG Gorzów or BIG Ostróda retail parks leading the market standards and gaining top market recognition in 2024.

Marcin Ochyra – CEO, Satoia

Satoia has recently significantly strengthened its position in the market by preparing and selling land in Kąty Wrocławskie near Wrocław with a total area of 80 ha, where a huge warehouse and logistics centre is now being built. The company prepared the construction of the centre’s roadways and took care of developing the plots by installing utilities and obtaining building permits. Under Marcin’s leadership, the company has demonstrated the importance of properly preparing land for the development market. Thanks to his many years of experience as well as his innovative and forward-thinking, the company has significantly distinguished itself in the sector. The land offered to investors is provided with the necessary utilities and infrastructure and is prepared for construction to start right away, which allows the project implementation phase to be shortened – even by several years. Thanks to taking these strategic actions, Satoia is playing a key role in the implementation of major commercial and infrastructure projects, while strengthening its position in the sector.

Anna Duchnowska – managing director, Invesco Real Estate

Anna has recently celebrated her 10th anniversary with Invesco Real Estate, a global investment manager with a European portfolio of over EUR 15 bln. Anna set up the company’s Polish operations back in 2014. Since then, she has been successfully developing the business in the region, growing the team of devoted professionals, while overseeing the asset management and value enhancement initiatives of the portfolio, which now exceeds EUR 1.6 bln, in the logistics, office, retail and residential sectors. In mid-2024, it completed its first mezzanine lending deal in Central Europe. In 2020, her expertise was recognised at the European level. She was asked to work with a pan- European team of experienced asset managers across 13 countries. Her responsibilities have included driving and coordinating the asset management strategy across a diverse array of investment mandates and various sectors. In 2023, Anna took on an Investment role for the region, while continuing her pan-European asset management coordination. She is an active member of the European Investment Committee and European Executive Council. For the last five years, she has been a mentor in the Invesco Global Mentorship Program for Women. In July 2024, she was appointed to be a member of the executive committee for the Urban Land Institute in Europe, having already served as their global governing trustee.

Magdalena Kowalewska-Kasperowicz – chief operating officer of LCP Properties Poland and an LCP board member

LCP Properties Poland is a leading player across the retail and warehouse sectors. Its M Park retail park network is one of the biggest in the country and continues to expand with new openings, while its last-mile Multiparks warehousing and office projects are also thriving. It now owns 93 retail, warehouse and office properties across Poland with a current total value of over EUR 540 mln. With Magdalena at the helm, the company is aiming at achieving a portfolio valued at EUR 1 bln over the next few years.

Robert Dobrzycki – CEO and co-owner, Panattoni Europe, Middle East and India

Panattoni is one the most consistent success stories to come out of Poland. Robert has ensured that not only is it still our leading industrial developer but has also enabled it to expand across Europe and the world into markets that would have seemed impossible for a Polish-based company just a decade ago. This year, Panattoni launched its first project in India and also entered the Saudi Arabian market, while Robert has also established the Robert Dobrzycki Foundation, whose mission is social development and the promotion of Poland and Polish entrepreneurship on the international arena.