The Urban Land Institute (ULI) – the world’s oldest and largest network of cross-disciplinary real estate experts – has announced the appointment of Kevin Nowlan, CEO of Hibernia REIT plc, as Chair of ULI Ireland. He succeeds Tom Dunne, Chairman of the Residential Tenancies Board, and officially began his two-year term on 1 January 2021.

Since launching as ULI’s 14^th European National Council in 2012, ULI Ireland has grown to more than 150 members and has built a robust programme including a popular annual conference and networking opportunities for professionals at different stages of their career. Its UrbanPlan programme also provides learning opportunities for 16 and 17-year olds in Ireland to help them understand the planning and development process for buildings, towns and parks.

As Chair of ULI Ireland, Kevin Nowlan aims to leverage ULI’s global and multi-disciplinary network and knowledge base to contribute to some of the most pertinent challenges in Ireland, including the delivery of housing, especially affordable housing, by collecting and sharing global best practices. “ULI uniquely brings together stakeholders, both private and public sector, from all disciplines for the sharing of ideas, thought leadership and best practice,” said Nowlan. “This is of great added value, not only to industry professionals in Ireland, but globally, given the challenges and opportunities ahead of us, that require trust and collaboration between all stakeholders involved.”

Kevin Nowlan has been an active supporter of ULI Ireland for many years as well as a member of the ULI Europe Urban Regeneration Product Council – a forum for industry leaders across the EMEA region to meet, exchange ideas, share best practices and foster thought leadership. Lisette van Doorn, CEO of ULI Europe, said: “Kevin brings a wealth of experience and knowledge from many different viewpoints of the real estate industry in Ireland. We look forward to working with him and the executive committee in furthering the mission of ULI in Ireland.

“I would also like to thank Tom Dunne for his work over the last two years,” said van Doorn. “Under his leadership, accompanied by a great team of executive committee members, ULI Ireland has continued to develop new initiatives including the ULI CBRE Excellence in Placemaking Awards and expanding the Young Leaders Mentorship programme. We look forward to the continued growth of ULI Ireland”.

Marnix Galle, Chairman of ULI Europe and Executive Chairman of Belgian developer Immobel, said: “Kevin is a renowned industry leader who will bring a fresh perspective and new ideas to ULI Ireland and build on the fantastic work that the National Council has already done. We see huge potential for advancing the network in Ireland and we look forward to supporting Kevin deliver value to our members.”

As CEO of Hibernia, Kevin Nowlan is responsible for the company’s portfolio, worth c.€1.5bn as at 31 March 2020, which is based in Dublin and specialises in city centre offices. Prior to joining Hibernia, Nowlan held senior roles in NAMA and Treasury Holdings and was MD of WK Nowlan Real Estate Advisers. He is a Chartered Surveyor with more than 20 years’ experience in the Irish property market, including commercial agency, property management, investment, development and development financing, commercial loan portfolio management and debt restructuring. He has a BSc in Estate Management from the University of Ulster, an MBA from Ulster Business School and a Diploma in Project Management from Trinity College, Dublin.