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In-person

Institutional Investor & Private Equity Forum

September 16, 2026 @ 8:00AM – 12:00PM Convene 237 Park Avenue New York, NY 10017
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2025 AGENDA
Attendee HIGHLIGHTS
ALL EVENTS

Keynote

Katie Keenan Institutional Investor & Private Equity Forum

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

Dwight Angelini Institutional Investor & Private Equity Forum

Dwight Y. Angelini

Co-Founder & Managing Partner

Longpoint Partners

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Dwight Y. Angelini

Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Longpoint Partners

Co-Founder and Managing Partner

Member of Longpoint’s Investment Committee



– Professor at Harvard Business School, Real Estate Investing
– Gloria A. Dauten Real Estate Fellow, Harvard Business School
– Previously a Partner and member of the management and acquisitions committees at TA Associates Realty, acquired over $1.4 billion of investment properties
– Prior experience as Portfolio manager at Banco Santander’s internal multi-strategy hedge fund
– Original member of Envestnet Advisory Corporation management team
– MBA, Harvard Business School
– BA in Psychology, Yale University; varsity soccer team captain

Nicholas Baccile Institutional Investor & Private Equity Forum

nicholas baccile

Director

Canyon Partners Real Estate LLC

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Nicholas Baccile

Director, Canyon Partners Real Estate LLC

Nicholas Baccile is a Director within the Real Estate Investment team at Canyon. Mr. Baccile joined Canyon in 2018 and primarily focuses on sourcing, underwriting, due diligence, structuring and executing equity investments, structured products, and secondary note acquisitions across the U.S. Prior to joining Canyon, Mr. Baccile worked at RXR Realty, where he was responsible for asset management of equity and debt investments. Previously, Mr. Baccile worked at Ares Management, where he was responsible for underwriting, due diligence and ongoing asset management of new equity investments. Mr. Baccile is a graduate of Cornell University (B.S., Applied Economics and Management with a minor in Real Estate).

Morris Betesh Institutional Investor & Private Equity Forum

Morris betesh

Founder & Managing Partner

Arrow Real Estate Advisors

Gordon Black Institutional Investor & Private Equity Forum

Gordon Black

EVP, Portfolio Manager of Private Equity

Heitman

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Gordon Black

EVP, Portfolio Manager of Private Equity, Heitman

Gordon is an Executive Vice President and Portfolio Manager of Heitman Global Real Estate Partners II (“G II”). He is an equity owner of the firm and a member of Heitman’s European Private Equity Investment Committee. Gordon is responsible for the portfolio management of select European private equity portfolios and global investment mandates. He is also the co-executive sponsor of Leading in Awareness and Environmental Preservation (LEAP), Heitman’s employee resource network designed to empower employees to help further the firm’s sustainability goals and initiatives by integrating thoughtful action into work and personal habits. From 2000 to 2018, Gordon was responsible for leading Heitman’s European Private Equity Group in Europe and, as a result, has participated in European real estate transactions totaling over €8 billion to date, and global acquisition and disposition activity totaling just under €10 billion.

Gordon received a BA in Finance from Michigan State University. He is a member of the Urban Land Institute and the Commercial Investment Real Estate Institute.

Trisha Connolly Institutional Investor & Private Equity Forum

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.

Andrew Dansker Institutional Investor & Private Equity Forum

andrew dansker

CEO

Dansker Capital Group

jeffrey dimodica Institutional Investor & Private Equity Forum

jeff dimodica

President

Starwood Property Trust

Matt Jones Institutional Investor & Private Equity Forum

Matt Jones

Chief Investment Officer, Credit Investments

Harbor Group International

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Matt Jones

Chief Investment Officer, Credit Investments, Harbor Group International

Matthew Jones, CFA serves as Chief Investment Officer of Credit Investments and is Managing Director of HGI. Mr. Jones is responsible for developing and implementing the firm’s credit investment strategies and oversees the Credit Investment team. Mr. Jones plays a leading role in strategic planning, sourcing investment opportunities and financing relationships, managing the due diligence process, and executing transactions. In addition, he is a member of HGI’s Executive, Alternative Investment, and Investment Committees. Mr. Jones joined HGI in 2002 from the investment banking division of Legg Mason Wood Walker. He graduated summa cum laude from Virginia Tech with a degree in Finance.

Shawn Lese Institutional Investor & Private Equity Forum

shawn lese

Chief Investment Officer & Head of Funds Management

Nuveen Real estate

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Shawn Lese

Chief Investment Officer & Head of Funds Management, Nuveen Real Estate

Shawn serves as the Chief Investment Officer and Head of Funds Management for Nuveen Real Estate’s ~$100 billion Americas platform. He leads a team of seasoned portfolio managers in driving investment performance and partnering with our clients on their current and prospective real estate investments. In addition, as Chief Investment Officer, Americas Shawn oversees the end-to end investment process. He is a member of the Global Executive Leadership Team and Americas Investment Committee.

Prior to joining the business in 2015, Shawn served as a managing director on the capital markets team of Grosvenor Fund Management. Shawn has also worked as an officer in Morgan Stanley’s real estate investment banking group. Additional experience includes positions at Lazard, JPMorgan and Sullivan & Cromwell. He entered the industry in 1998.

Shawn graduated with a B.A. from Columbia College of Columbia University, an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School and a J.D. from Columbia University School of Law.

Greg MacKinnon Institutional Investor & Private Equity Forum

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.

Will Pattison Institutional Investor & Private Equity Forum

William Pattison

Head of Real Estate Research & Strategy

MetLife Investment Management

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William Pattison

Head of Real Estate Research & Strategy, MetLife Investment Management

William (Will) Pattison is Head of Research & Strategy for MetLife Investment Management’s (MIM) Real Estate group. He is responsible for research and strategy development in support of MIM’s real estate equity and debt platforms within the Research, Valuations & Analytics group. Will is a voting member of the Investment Committee.

Prior to joining MIM in 2015, Will was a member of the Real Estate group at Aegon Real Assets.

Will earned a B.S. in Economics from the Iowa State University. He is a Counselor of Real Estate (CRE).

MARK MINDICK 1 Institutional Investor & Private Equity Forum

MODERATOR

mark mindick

Partner, Real Estate Practice Leader

Citrin Cooperman

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Mark Mindick

Partner, Real Estate Practice Leader, Citrin Cooperman

Mark is a longstanding partner and has been a substantial part of the growth of the firm for the past 25 years, consulting on a wide range of value-added tax, consulting, and assurance matters, with a specialized focus in the real estate sector. His clients include the greater real estate and financial services community, both domestic and international.

A leader in the firm’s Real Estate Industry Practice, Mark serves as a specialist and go-to consultant for the real estate community, from entrepreneurs all the way through some of the largest national brands in U.S. real estate. He is involved in all verticals of the industry and is highly skilled in mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and other various areas of business counsel and analysis. He also negotiates with a wide range of capital sources from private investors, family offices, real estate funds, hedge funds, and other institutional grade investors.

On the pulse of the marketplace, Mark brings value to clients with his proactive approach and deep understanding of his clients’ issues and goals, helping to scale and diversify businesses to grow them to the next level.

Mark maintains an extensive network of equity sources and has expansive knowledge in structuring deals from every aspect, ranging from all tiers of the capital stack to sophisticated multi-tier joint venture structures. Mark is experienced in benchmarking against the marketplace, he also offers guidance on initiating, structuring, and analyzing real estate funds and syndication vehicles.

Jen Morgan Institutional Investor & Private Equity Forum

MODERATOR

jennifer morgan

Partner

King & Spalding

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Jennifer Morgan

Partner, King & Spalding

Jennifer Morgan has more than 20 years of experience advising clients on real estate private equity transactions. She represents sponsors and institutional investors across a wide range of investments, including joint ventures, acquisitions, dispositions, and other complex transactions.

Jennifer co-leads King & Spalding’s Real Estate & Funds Practice Group and has served on the firm’s managing policy committee. Her practice focuses on structuring and negotiating fund formations and other capital transactions, including private real estate investment trusts and other structured investments.

She is consistently recognized as a leading real estate attorney, having been ranked in Chambers USA every year from 2013 through 2025. In 2025, she was named to GlobeSt.com’s Rainmakers in CRE Debt, Equity & Finance list. She was also selected as one of Fortune’s Women Leaders in the Law and has been recognized by Legal 500 for Real Estate. Earlier in her career, she was named a New York Super Lawyer and was included among the Top Real Estate Women Attorneys by Super Lawyers.

Jennifer is a frequent speaker at real estate private equity conferences. She also serves as an adjunct professor of Real Estate Transactions at Columbia Business School and Columbia Law School and is a member of the Board of Directors of Street Law, Inc.

Seth Niedermayer Institutional Investor & Private Equity Forum

MODERATOR

seth R. niedermayer

Partner

HSF Kramer

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Seth R. Niedermayer

Partner, HSF Kramer

Seth R. Niedermayer counsels and represents investors, developers, operators, financial institutions and real estate investment trusts (REITs) in the full range of real estate transactions — acquisitions and sales, developments, partnerships and joint ventures, and lending, borrowing and financing transactions.
Seth’s projects involve commercial, residential, multifamily, mixed-use, luxury, and resort and hospitality properties, and include everything from traditional commercial transactions and financings to foreign investments in U.S. developments and some of the highest-profile developments in New York City and nationwide.

Among his most recent projects, Seth represented Mitsui Fudosan America, Inc. in a joint venture with The Related Companies and Oxford Properties Group for the acquisition and development of 50 Hudson Yards, located at the intersection of Hudson Yards, the High Line, and Hudson and Park boulevards, New York. When completed, the 28-acre, $18 billion Hudson Yards project — the largest private real estate development in the United States — will include more than 18 million square feet of commercial and residential space; state-of-the-art office towers, including the new world headquarters of Time Warner; more than 100 shops and restaurants; approximately 4,000 residences; 14 acres of public open space; a public school; a luxury hotel; and a performing arts center.

In 2022, Seth was named a Rising Star in Real Estate by Law360.

Prior to joining the firm, Seth practiced corporate law at a global law firm, advising companies, private equity firms and financial institutions on acquisition and project financings, refinancings, leverage recapitalizations, and a full range of debt structures.

Jennifer Recine Institutional Investor & Private Equity Forum

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
Collage Institutional Investor & Private Equity Forum

Institutional Investor & Private Equity Forum

Wednesday, September 16, 2026
Convene 237 Park
237 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10017
…
Register Now

Who Should Attend

  • Institutional Investors
  • Portfolio & Investment Managers
  • Private Equity & VC Firms
  • Family Offices & Pension Funds
  • Senior & Mezzanine Lenders
  • Owners & Developers
  • Borrowers
  • Brokers
  • Attorneys
  • Advisory Firms & Consultants
  • Ratings Agencies
  • Insurance Companies

Agenda

Opening Keynote Session
The State of Institutional Real Estate: Where Capital is Moving, What’s Changing & What’s Next
Shifting Allocations: How Institutional Investors are Rebalancing Real Estate Portfolios
The Rise of Private Credit: New Fund Formation, Institutional Entry & the Evolution of Real Estate Financing
Global Capital in Motion: Domestic vs. Foreign Investment Trends & Emerging Opportunities

Sponsors

%name Institutional Investor & Private Equity Forum

arrow real estate advisors

Arrow Real Estate Advisors is a leading capital markets advisory platform specializing in tailored real estate financing solutions for owners, investors, and developers throughout the United States. Founded in 2024 and headquartered in New York City, Arrow leverages a deep network of capital providers to source and structure debt and equity financing across all major property types, including industrial, multifamily, office, retail, hospitality, mixed-use, and special-purpose assets.
Arrow’s team is led by seasoned industry professionals with decades of collective experience in commercial real estate finance. The firm is built on a client-centric ethos that emphasizes strategic thinking, market insight, and results-driven execution, ensuring capital solutions that align with each sponsor’s operational goals and risk profile. Whether arranging permanent mortgages, acquisition and construction financing, refinancing, or joint venture equity, Arrow’s advisors deliver customized strategies backed by rigorous underwriting and deep lender relationships.
With a nationwide footprint, Arrow operates with the agility of a boutique advisory platform and the reach of an established national firm. Its professionals draw on a broad spectrum of market intelligence and capital sources, from regional banks and life companies to debt funds and institutional lenders, to navigate complex capital markets landscapes and secure optimal outcomes for clients. Committed to excellence and long-term partnerships, Arrow Real Estate Advisors continues to build on its early success, expanding its team and enhancing its capabilities to meet the evolving needs of today’s real estate investors and developers.

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citrin cooperman

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dansker capital group

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HSF KRAMER

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InterVest Capital Partners

InterVest Capital Partners

King Spalding 1 2 Institutional Investor & Private Equity Forum

king & Spalding

King & Spalding is a leading international law firm with a global platform and deep local roots. With approximately 1,300 lawyers across 26 offices in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, the firm advises clients on complex transactional, regulatory, and dispute matters in more than 160 countries. Celebrating over 140 years of service, King & Spalding represents a broad spectrum of clients, including more than 250 public companies and approximately half of the Fortune Global 100. The firm offers full‑service capabilities across key practice areas, including private funds, real estate, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, litigation, and regulatory matters, and is known for building long‑standing, trusted client relationships. King & Spalding is consistently recognized by leading legal directories for the depth and quality of its work. Chambers Global, Chambers USA, Legal 500, and U.S. News & Best Lawyers regularly rank the firm among the top law firms worldwide, noting its strong bench, integrated global approach, and practical, business‑oriented advice. Clients and industry rankings frequently highlight the firm’s ability to handle high‑profile, complex matters with efficiency, responsiveness, and a collaborative, cross‑border approach.

Meridian Capital Group Institutional Investor & Private Equity Forum

meridian capital group

RXR 1 1 Institutional Investor & Private Equity Forum

rxr

RXR is an innovative real estate investment manager, operator, developer, and place-maker
committed to applying a customer and community-centered approach to acquiring, operating, and building properties and to providing services and products that create enduring value for all stakeholders. Headquartered in New York with a nationally-scaled platform, RXR is an approximately 450 person, vertically integrated investment manager with expertise in a wide array of value creation activities, including acquisitions, asset and portfolio management, property operations, development, construction, leasing, and technological innovation. RXR is an active investor in real estate credit, rental housing, commercial property, and property
technology through value-added and opportunistic investment strategies. The RXR platform manages 108 commercial real estate properties and investments with an aggregate gross asset value of approximately $16.4 billion, comprising approximately 30.9 million square feet of commercial properties, a multi-family residential portfolio of approximately 9,400 units under operation or development, and control of development rights for an additional approximately 3,000 multi-family and for sale units as of September 30, 2025. Gross asset value compiled by RXR in accordance with company fair value measurement policy and is comprised of capital invested by RXR and its partners, as well as leverage.

Starwood Property Trust logo Institutional Investor & Private Equity Forum

starwood property trust

Starwood Property Trust (NYSE: STWD), an affiliate of global private investment firm Starwood Capital Group, is a leading diversified finance company with a core focus on the real estate and infrastructure sectors. As of September 30, 2025, the Company has successfully deployed over $112 billion of capital since inception and manages a portfolio of over $30 billion across debt and equity investments. Starwood Property Trust’s investment objective is to generate attractive and stable returns for shareholders, primarily through dividends, by leveraging a premiere global organization to identify and execute on the best risk adjusted returning investments across its target assets. Additional information can be found at www.starwoodpropertytrust.com.

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wells fargo

Association Partners

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