British Romanian Chamber of Commerce together with Romanian Diversity Chamber of Commerce will organize the conference entitled “Innovating Real Estate and Construction: Trends and Inclusiveness” on the 5th of November at The Marmorosch Hotel. This is a comprehensive event that aims to discuss critical aspects of the real estate industry: market trends, accessibility, inclusive design, and the complexities of legislative access through impactful case studies.
This event will foster dialogue among industry leaders, legal experts, and design professionals aiming to discuss the latest trends in the market as well as multifaceted approach required to enhance accessibility in the real estate industry. Attendees will gain insights into the legal and compliance requirements, explore successful case studies, and learn practical strategies to integrate accessibility into their projects.
EVENT AGENDA
- 9.30-10.00 – Registration and Welcome Coffee
- 10.00-10.15 – Opening Remarks
- 10.15-11.15 – Panel I: Emerging Market Trends in Real Estate Industry
- 11.15-11.40 – Coffee Break and Networking
- 11.40-13.00 – Panel II: Building the Future: Accessibility and Inclusive Design in the Real Estate
- 13.00-14.20 – Pane lII: Sustainability in Real Estate: Investor and Developer Perspectives
- 14:20-14:30 – Q&A and Closing Remarks
- 14:30-15:30 – Networking Lunch
Opening Remarks:
Colin Lovering – BRCC Chairman
Based in Romania for over 11 years now. Colin is International Business Partner for Brainovate Leadership Consultants as well as a well know Senior Advisor on Real Estate and Office design.
He is also a lecturer at the University of Bucharest plus a familiar face hosting and moderating major business events in Romania. As a Business performance Expert, Colin has trained CEO’s, Executives, Department Managers, Sales people and hundreds of professionals in North America, China, South Africa and right across Europe.
Perry V. Zizzi – Managing Partner at Dentons Romania and President of the Romanian Diversity Chamber of Commerce
Perry V. Zizzi is the Managing Partner of Dentons Romania, head of the Corporate practice group in Bucharest, and a core member of the Real Estate team. He has over a quarter century of experience advising on M&A in the emerging markets of Central and Eastern Europe, Western Europe, the US and elsewhere. He has particular expertise advising private equity clients and he is recognized as a market leader in real estate M&A. Perry is ranked “eminent practitioner” in the new edition of Chambers & Partners in the Real Estate sector. Clients value his input on complex mandates and describe him as “very supportive”, “always seeking to find a practical and fair solution with the minimum of fuss”
Panel 1. Emerging Market Trends in Real Estate
Key Topics:
- Current Market Dynamics
- Technological Advancements
- Investment Strategies
- Case Studies and Success Stories
Moderator:
Tudor Popp – Founding Partner at Hotspot Workhub
Following over a decade of real estate expertise in Austria, Tudor co-founded REC immpuls in 2006 in Bucharest, alongside German investors. Specializing in consulting, planning, and project management, REC has played a pivotal role in numerous large-scale construction, refurbishment, and fit-out projects across Europe. In 2019, Tudor teamed up with his German partners once again to establish a fresh coworking brand named HotSpot. Their mission? To craft an outstanding coworking space for both local and international businesses.
After the pandemic, HotSpot really took off and was jam-packed at 100% capacity. Around 14 companies either moved to or launched their business in Romania, setting up their offices at HotSpot Workhub. Seeing the demand, Tudor snagged another awesome building in Bucharest and rolled out the second location, HotSpot Skyhub. And he is not stopping there. The brand’s gearing up to spread its wings to new spots, raising the bar for flexible work setups in urban areas.
Speakers confirmed so far:
Ramona Moldovan – Deputy General Secretary, Ministry of Energy
Ms Ramona Moldovan is the Deputy General Secretary of the Romanian Ministry of Energy.
She is a graduate of bachelor and master degrees in political and administrative sciences, with more than 18 years’ experience in the Romanian and Western Balkans governmental businesses and management of public sector related reforms and funding and over 10 years in coordination and management positions in public sector institutions. Over the years she had strategic management positions in the Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Investments and European Project and Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitalisation. She is a former employee of World Bank and Ecole Nationale D’ Administration (ENA) where she worked on public administration reform and policy making agenda. Ms. Moldovan has long experience on strategic governmental affairs and policy making, planning, coordination and implementation of EU Funds, including National Recovery and Resilience Plan and the management of the relations with International Organisations. In the Ministry of Energy, Ms Moldovan coordinates and contributes to the strategic decision making on the policies and implementation of financing programmes related to green energy and energy efficiency.
Andreea Dumitru – CMO at Hagag Development Europe
With about 14 years’ worth of professional experience in the MARCOMM industry, of which more than half focused on marketing & communicating real estate projects and building developer brands, Andreea Ciobanu joined real estate investor-developer Hagag Development Europe as Chief Marketing Officer in early 2022, after serving as the company’s Communications Consultant for about 4 years. In her current role, Andreea oversees all marketing and communications initiatives within the company, developing and managing competitive marketing strategies for a portfolio comprising 10 real estate developments spanning multiple industry segments, a serviced offices product and the corporate communication efforts, constantly analysing the local market, consumers’ behaviour, measuring key metrics, and optimizing the marketing funnel to ensure that all activities are effective, efficient, and demonstrate ROI.
Pavlos Loizou – Co-Founder and CEO at Ask Wire
He leads an award-winning company that is transforming real estate decision-making across Cyprus, Greece, and Romania. Ask Wire leverages advanced data analytics to provide unparalleled property insights, helping real estate investors, asset managers, banks, insurers, and other key stakeholders increase sales, manage risk, automate reporting, and optimize operations. Pavlos has also held influential roles as Head of Real Estate at Gordian Holdings, Head of Asset Management at Bank of Cyprus, and Partner at Resolute Asset Management, where he was instrumental in reshaping asset management strategies. His commitment to integrating technology into real estate ensures that Ask Wire remains at the cutting edge of industry innovation. A graduate of the University of Cambridge (MPhil) and the University of Reading (BSc), Pavlos also served as Chairman of the RICS in Cyprus, further contributing to the development of industry standards and practices.
Bogdan Mitroi – Manager VME, Strategy and Transactions at EY Romania
Bogdan joined EY Romania in 2015 and in part of EY’s Strategy and Transactions team. He is currently a Manager in Valuation Modeling and Economics sub-service line , specializing in Real Estate and other Fixed Assets Valuation.
He is a member of the National Association of Authorized Valuers in Romania (ANEVAR) with certifications in Real Estate, Business and Equipment Valuation. Additionally, he is a Certified Valuation Reviewer for Real Estate Valuation, a TEGoVA Recognized European Valuer (REV) and professional preparation lecturer for Real Estate valuation.
He brings over 15 years of experience in the valuation sector including 6 years in the banking.
Bogdan’s extensive experience covers all types of valuations in Romania, including business, intangibles, commercial and office real estate, residential developments, industrial sites, shopping malls, hotels, and leisure properties.
Panel 2. Building the Future: Accessibility and Inclusive Design in the Real Estate
Key Topics:
- Developing Accessible Real Estate Properties
- Understanding Legal and Compliance Aspects Related to Accessibility
- Discussing Practical Strategies for Integrating Accessibility into Design
- Case Studies and Success Stories
Moderator: Perry V. Zizzi – Managing Partner at Dentons Romania and President of the Romanian Diversity Chamber of Commerce
Perry V. Zizzi is the Managing Partner of Dentons Romania, head of the Corporate practice group in Bucharest, and a core member of the Real Estate team. He has over a quarter century of experience advising on M&A in the emerging markets of Central and Eastern Europe, Western Europe, the US and elsewhere. He has particular expertise advising private equity clients and he is recognized as a market leader in real estate M&A. Perry is ranked “eminent practitioner” in the new edition of Chambers & Partners in the Real Estate sector. Clients value his input on complex mandates and describe him as “very supportive”, “always seeking to find a practical and fair solution with the minimum of fuss”
Speakers confirmed so far:
Aurelia Luca – Executive Vice President Operations Hungary & Romania for Skanska’s commercial development business unit
Aurelia Luca has more than 20 years of expertise in the real estate development. Aurelia became part of the Skanska team in 2012, as a Leasing Manager, after previously working as Commercial Manager for Global Finance. In January 2018, Aurelia has been appointed as Managing Director of Skanska Property Romania. From this position, she continued Skanska’s mission of developing sustainable office buildings. After being promoted to this position, Aurelia became the first Romanian woman in the regional management council of Skanska Commercial Development Europe, division in charge with coordinating the activities of Skanska in Romania, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland.
Since January 2020, she is part of the newly appointed Senior Leadership Team in Skanska commercial development business in Central and Eastern Europe. Named Executive Vice President Operations Romania, Aurelia Luca had an important role in the process of centralizing the organization on regional level and strengthening its strategic focus on customers.
In February 2021, Aurelia took over the Hungarian operations, becoming EVP Operations Hungary and Romania and is responsible for Skanska’s commercial development business unit in both countries.
Miruna Grigorescu – Deputy Chief Engineer at AFI Europe Romania
Miruna Grigorescu has worked in the past 15 years in the engineering department of AFI Europe Romania, following an earlier 5-year career as an academic and consultant in the field of spatial urban management. Her project development expertise is covering commercial (retail, office) and residential projects in Romania and abroad. She was involved in the development of several large commercial centers, office buildings and office parks, residential or mixed-use projects. Miruna is one of the founding members of “De-a Arhitectura”, an NGO that brings the built environment professionals in the public schools all over Romania, in consistent spatial education programs that have so far reached over 35,000 children.” In her current role, she is overseeing all the phases of complex real estate projects from the technical point of view, providing the technical support to the acquisition phase, urban planning, project design and construction, certification, and delivery to the final user / operator. She coordinates various teams of technical consultants, designers and project managers and works in front of and closely cooperating with the financial, legal and sales / leasing departments and consultants for the success of the projects.
Nicole Sommer – Head of Business Development for ESG & Sustainability Solutions at CBRE Romania
Nicole Sommer is the Head of Business Development for ESG & Sustainability Solutions at CBRE Romania. With over sixteen years of experience in business development, specifically in the construction and real estate sectors, Nicole is deeply committed to advancing corporate sustainability. As Head of Business Development, Nicole’s main mission is to increase the impact of CBRE as a main driver of transformational change in developing ESG strategies for the Romanian real estate market. Focusing on building performance in order to create greener & healthier properties for both landlords and occupiers, she supports businesses in achieving their goals and improving their sustainability performance. Nicole is an Access4you AP and has a strong commitment to promote and enhance accessibility and inclusion for the built environment. Part of a highly specialized CBRE team across the region, she promotes ESG & Sustainability solutions that help decarbonize the real estate sector and improve the quality of the buildings we work and live in.
Natalia Pokorska – Sales Director | Poland | Romania | Bulgaria at Steelcase
Natalia is a passionate leader with 17 years of experience in strategic sales and marketing. She specializes in workplace strategy as well as interior design and furniture manufacturing having worked in multicultural corporations in Asia and Europe.
Rafaela Nebreda – Founder Grupo Demetra
Rafaela Nebreda Vilallonga has been for over 20 years in real estate, with deep expertise in both Romanian and international markets. Leading Imoteca, a major Romanian real estate company, she has been key to its growth and success. With fluency in five foreign languages, Rafaela’s global perspective has allowed her to transcend borders, contributing to her professional journey in cities like Rio, Brussels, Bucharest, and Bilbao. Rafaela´s entrepreneurial soul project, Grupo Demetra, combines her strong focus on people-centric management and her expertise in real estate. By developing sustainable real estate projects with special focus on social sustainability, she is keen on tackling systemic issues and adopting a “think beyond buildings” approach to construction. Rafaela and her team at Grupo Demetra develop beyond brick and mortar, they develop communities and enable better ways of living.
Panel 3. Sustainability in Real Estate: Investor and Developer Perspectives
Sustainability is becoming a key focus for both investors and developers in Romania’s real estate market, driven by growing demand for environmentally friendly projects. This panel explores the latest sustainability trends from both perspectives, highlighting how sustainability influences project design, investment decisions, and long-term asset management.
Key Topics:
- Green Leases: Fostering Sustainability in Tenant-Landlord Agreements
- Renewable Energy Integration in New Real Estate Projects
- The Role of ESG in Real Estate Investments
- Sustainable Construction Materials and Methods: Innovations in the Romanian Market
Panel Moderator:
Adrian Pop – General Manager at ADP Green Building
Adrian Pop is one of the best known sustainability consultants in CEE. He was Vice President of the Romanian Order of Architects, Board Member of the Romania Green Building Council, Design Tutor at the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning from Cluj-Napoca and led the ADP architecture office. In the past years, his activity concentrated on supporting the real estate’s transition to a more sustainable built environment, being involved in most of the green building certification projects in Romania and all the CEE region. ADP green building’s projects were awarded, in 2021 and 2024, at the BREEAM Awards in London.
Presentation:
Nayer AbdElMeseh – Co-founder and Operations Manager at Phoenix Environmental Romania
Nayer Abdelmeseh is an accomplished entrepreneur and American investor, known for his strategic investments across diverse industries in Eastern Europe. As the co-founder and Operations Manager of Phoenix Environmental, Nayer has successfully navigated diverse markets, driving innovation and growth across various industries.
As a panelist at the upcoming event Innovating Real Estate and Construction: Trends and Inclusiveness, Nayer will share his perspectives on sustainability in real estate, drawing from his deep knowledge of sustainable investment strategies and his commitment to environmental responsibility. His approach centers on how industries, including real estate, can adopt more eco-friendly practices to drive long-term success and positive environmental impact.
With a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Sciences from University of Massachusetts Boston, Nayer’s broad expertise and forward-thinking mindset continue to shape his contributions across various industries. He is passionate about sustainability and fostering innovative solutions that transcend traditional investment models.
Speakers confirmed so far:
Oana Cojocaru – Sustainability Director at Globalworth
With more than 18 years of experience in banking and real estate, including seven years specializing in corporate finance with a focus on real estate and renewable energy, Oana brings a wealth of expertise to her role. Since joining Globalworth in April 2018 as an Investment Manager, Oana efficiently managed all investments, capital markets, ESG initiatives, and standard reporting for our shareholders. Among these, she has been instrumental in expanding and enhancing our industrial portfolio. In her current capacity as Sustainability Director, recently graduating from the Cambridge Business Sustainability Management Centre, Oana is now responsible with the development and implementation of a comprehensive sustainability strategy that resonates with our company’s core values and objectives. Collaborating with cross-functional teams, she is integrating sustainability principles into all aspects of our business operations while diligently monitoring and reporting on our sustainability performance.
Professional in commercial development, energy, consultancy and sustainability with 17 years within the industry, in different positions related to delivering and managing sustainable commercial projects, adding value for both customers and shareholders in projects of more than 500M EURO. Driving sustainability, supporting the development of sustainability strategies, prioritizing and promoting ESG agenda. Global perspective, being involved in diverse projects with positive impact for Communities.
Bogdan Papandopol – Partner, Head of Real Estate at Dentons Bucharest Bogdan Papandopol is a Partner and Head of Real Estate at Dentons’ Bucharest office. With over 20 years of experience, he advises numerous local and international companies and investors on real estate matters. Bogdan has been involved in some of the most high-profile real estate transactions in Romania in recent years. His practice includes coordinating various due diligence processes, acquisitions, concessions, construction contracts, joint ventures, design agreements, institutional lease agreements, and project financing. Additionally, Bogdan has a particular focus on real estate matters related to renewable energy projects in Romania.
Iuliana Irimia is Head of Office Asset Management at CPI Romania, starting with September 2022. Prior to CPI Romania, Iulia was responsible for the office asset management of Immofinanz Romania, as Senior Asset Manager, for four years.
During 2014-2018, Iuliana previously occupied the position of Asset Manager at Globalworth (prior to Immofinanz), being responsible for coordinating a diverse portfolio of office buildings.
Iuliana is a skilled professional with a vast experience of over 20 years in real estate, both office & retail areas.
Casiana Fometescu – President at Romanian Carbon Association
Casiana Fometescu is the founder and CEO of Carbon Expert, a consultancy firm that brings together experts in carbon and energy markets, focusing on issues related to greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy, and energy efficiency projects. The company also develops voluntary carbon projects in countries such as Romania, Germany, and the UK. With 15 years of experience in the carbon and energy markets, she has actively represented various companies at United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meetings, as well as at the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) in Switzerland and the Climate Markets & Investment Association (CMIA) in the UK. Casiana is an Honoured Citizen of Bruges, having studied at the College of Europe in Bruges, where she earned a Master’s degree in European Political and Administrative Studies. She also holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest and a Master’s degree from the University of Regensburg. Her work extends into the non-profit sector as well, where she is the President of the Romanian Carbon Association, a Board Member of YMCA Romania, and Asociatia Sansa Ta, and the coordinator of the Energy and Emissions working group of CERC (the Coalition for Circular Economy).
Key Points for Attendees
- Gain a comprehensive understanding of the importance and benefits of accessible real estate developments.
- Learn about the legal and compliance aspects necessary to meet accessibility standards.
- Discover successful case studies and best practices to apply in your projects.
- Explore innovative strategies and inclusive design principles to improve accessibility.
- Understand the role of universal design in urban planning and its broader implications.
Silver Partners:
Strategic Partner:
Ambasada Sustenabilitatii in Romania
Media Partners:
