Institutional Investor & Private Equity Forum

Keynote

Katie keenan

Global Head of Core + Real Estate, CEO of Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust

Blackstone

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Katie Keenan

Global Head of Core + Real Estate and the Chief Executive Officer of Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust (“BREIT”), Blackstone

Katie Keenan is the Global Head of Core + Real Estate and the Chief Executive Officer of Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust (“BREIT”). She previously served as the Global Co-Chief Investment Officer of Blackstone Real Estate Debt Strategies (“BREDS”) and the Chief Executive Officer, President and a Director of Blackstone Mortgage Trust (NYSE:BXMT), a publicly-traded commercial mortgage REIT managed by Blackstone.


Prior to joining Blackstone in 2012, Ms. Keenan held positions at G2 Investment Group, Lubert-Adler Real Estate Funds and in the Real Estate Investment Banking Group at Lehman Brothers.


Ms. Keenan graduated cum laude with an AB in History from Harvard College. She sits on the Board of Directors of Getting Out and Staying Out and the Advisory Board of Governors of NAREIT, and is a member of WX New York Women Executives in Real Estate.

Speakers

Trisha connolly horowitz

Head of CRE Finance & Portfolio Management

Catal Capital

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Trisha Connolly Horowitz

Head of CRE Finance & Portfolio Management, Catal Capital

Trisha Connolly Horowitz is a true trailblazer within the commercial real estate capital markets space. She has achieved many noteworthy accomplishments in her almost two decades in structured finance with a proven track record of delivering creative, tailored solutions across CRE investments totaling over $4B in transactions. She started her career at General Growth Properties and Brookfield experiencing her first GFC, which helped her grow into a leader within capital markets advisory as a broker at Cushman and Wakefield, Ackman Ziff and ultimately leading her to become the first female Chief Operations Officer of Capital Markets for Avison Young. Summer of 2024, Trisha took on the new role as Head of CRE Finance & Portfolio Management at Catal Capital, a newly formed middle-market debt fund under the Catal Group family office where the family has a total of $2B AUM in U.S. real estate under Vista Property and $800M in the U.K. under Wendover Partners. Trisha provides the family office executive leadership for capital markets structure across the platform.

In addition to her numerous professional achievements, she also finds time to give back by mentoring young women within the commercial real estate industry and by sitting on boards of organizations like SheBuilds, the Harold E. Eisenberg Foundation, ULI IOPC Silver Council, and the Endometriosis Foundation, to name a few. She also sits on the board of the Marquette University Center for Real Estate where she helped start the first undergrad investment program for students. The REAP program is a top program for undergrad students across the country and has pushed Marquette University to a Top 20 Business Program.

During Covid, Trisha co-launched an executive leadership breakfast to find connection with other women that has taken off to a growing list of over 300 women. Most recently, she co-hosted an executive leadership retreat in the Hamptons, #RealEstateRise, focusing on connection, health and wellness, and powering those tools to elevate and empower women as leaders.

greg mackinnon

Head of Research

Pension Real Estate Association

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Greg MacKinnon

Head of Research, PREA

Greg MacKinnon, Ph.D., CFA, is Head of Research at the Pension Real Estate Association (PREA), a position he has held since 2009. In this role, he provides in-depth research, data analysis, and thought leadership on real estate investment topics of importance to institutional investors. He is responsible for overseeing PREA’s research agenda, producing original content, and supporting members with objective, data-driven insights into investment issues and commercial real estate trends. As a key representative of PREA, he engages regularly with media, speaks at industry events, and manages relationships with external stakeholders.

Before joining PREA, Greg was a Professor of Finance at Saint Mary’s University in Canada. He also taught at several other universities in Canada and New Zealand, and conducted numerous professional development courses. His academic research, focused on real estate investment and financial markets, has been published in the leading journals and recognized with multiple research awards.

He is a Fellow of both the Homer Hoyt Institute and the Real Estate Research Institute, is a member of the Editorial Board for the real estate special issue of the Journal of Portfolio Management, a former editor of the Journal of Real Estate Portfolio Management, and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Real Estate Research Institute. He previously served on the Board of Directors of the Atlantic Canada CFA Society.

Greg holds a Ph.D. in Finance from the University of Alberta and is a CFA charterholder.

MODERATOR

jennifer recine

Partner

King & Spalding

What You Need to Know

After several years of volatility, 2026 marks a pivotal inflection point for commercial real estate — where stabilizing valuations, easing inflation, and renewed capital formation are beginning to restore momentum across global markets. Transaction activity is rebounding and institutional investors are reentering the market with greater conviction, yet performance is increasingly defined by selectivity, asset quality and more disciplined capital deployment.

As we look toward 2027, the landscape will favor those who are able to navigate a more complex long-game, focusing on quality and durability. Commercial Observer’s Institutional Investors & Private Equity Forum will bring together the most influential allocators, operators, and capital partners to decode these shifts and share how they’re strategically positioning themselves to drive outsized returns.

This must-attend event convenes prominent institutional investors, LPs, GPs, pension funds, family offices, high-net worth individuals, insurance firms, owners and developers for a morning of unparalleled C-suite insights and networking.

Don’t miss your chance to join today’s most prominent market players as they share:

• Critical insights into current deal structures and transaction trends
• Opportunities in the private credits market
• What’s driving investor demand around asset classes
• Strategies for managing investment allocations
• Perspectives on the rise of alternative financing