PropTech and the Future of Real Estate

The Real Estate Industry is facing dramatic changes. The PropTech revolution is likely to impact us all. How did Airbnb strike gold? Will we soon be able to buy a house with the click of a button? What role do artificial intelligence and blockchain play when it comes to global real estate trading? What is a smart building? PropTech is building momentum, and it is set to change the world.

Join us on Thursday 8 July for our next Dean’s Distinguished Speaker event, where we will be hearing from real estate industry veteran and PropTech thought leader Professor Andrew Baum, Professor of Practice at the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.

Professor Baum is a world-leading authority on real estate and technology, and will be joining us virtually, to share his latest insights on what is coming next for technology and the real estate industry globally. An in-person panel discussion of local experts and practitioners, looking at where New Zealand sits in the PropTech space, will follow Professor Baum’s opening address.

Professor Andrew Baum

Andrew Baum is Professor of Practice at the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford where he leads the Future of Real Estate Initiative and is Professor Emeritus at the University of Reading. He is Chairman of Newcore Capital Management, a real estate fund manager focused on alternatives, and advisor to several property organisations and startups. He holds BSc, MPhil and PhD degrees from the University of Reading, and is a graduate of the London Business School investment management programme, a chartered surveyor and a qualified member of the CFA institute (ASIP). He has held senior positions with Grosvenor, Nuveen, CBRE Global Investors and others.

Baum’s PropTech 3.0: The Future of Real Estate was the most downloaded Saïd Business School report in 2017, and the most downloaded Proptech report on Infabode. Andrew Baum also was winner of the UK PropTech Association Special Achievement award for 2019 and was given an achievement award by the International Real Estate Society in 2020.

Baum’s new book with David Hartzell (Real Estate Investment: Strategies, Structures, Decisions, Wiley Finance) was published in January 2021.

If you have any questions about this event, please email n.newton@auckland.ac.nz

Car parking information

Meet the Panel

Facilitator: Professor Deborah Levy, Head of Department of Property

Deborah has held key leadership roles in the Department of Property over the past 15 years and since 2008 has been Head of the Department. Deborah is internationally recognised for her research in behavioural studies relating to property market behaviour which has been informed by previous work experience as a property professional and by her continued close association with the property industry.

Mark Campbell, Co-founder and CIO, Jasper

Mark has over 15 years' experience with commercial real estate firms in NZ, UK and Europe. Mark is the Co-founder and CIO of Jasper, a technology led Fund Manager. Jasper is a digital investment platform for CRE, providing all investors with access to private market investments. Prior to returning to NZ to launch Jasper in 2019, Mark led a Pan-European commercial real estate joint venture between Blackstone and M7, overseeing assets worth more than $12 billion NZD, in seven countries. Mark led the fund since inception and oversaw the acquisition and ongoing asset management of c.1,000 assets. Mark specialises in investment and asset management, finance and capital markets, asset acquisitions and disposals along with liaison with joint venture partners and investors.

Sarah Codling, CX Designer | Consultant

Sarah helps proptech founders build products that solve real-world problems. As an expert in implementing lean start-up methodology, Sarah helps teams test and validate a product idea without writing a single line of code. By introducing the right tools, strategies and culture changes, Sarah helps teams engage more closely with their customers so they can learn, innovate, validate and grow faster. Sarah is an alumna of the University of Auckland, having studied a Bachelor of Property and Bachelor of Laws.

Jon Vollemaere, CEO of R5FX

Jon has no idea about property whatsoever, having narrowly avoided purchases in New York, London and Mangawhai, but does know a thing or two about currency. Having been involved in financial technology (FinTech) for 25+ years in many parts of the world and now on Waiheke. Jon is a regular speaker at conferences, contributor to finance industry media and acts as an advisor to a number of early stage FinTech firms in London as a founding mentor at Level39. He holds a BCom (Finance/Commercial) from Auckland University and sits on its UK Board of Trustees

Simon Wilson, Director at RDT Pacific

Simon has worked in property and construction in Sydney, London, and San Francisco, and has been successfully delivering construction projects for more than two decades. He is a leading and influential professional within the property construction industry in New Zealand and has been tireless in the promotion of sustainable building practices. He was Director of the New Zealand Green Building Council (NZGBC) from 2011 to 2016, and since then has been the NZGBC Chair of the Group Advisory. He is also the NZGBC representative on the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) Industry Advisory Group. In addition to his consultancy work, Simon is passionate about supporting innovation to improve the construction industry as a whole, and is the Chair of the Board for CONQA, a construction software company and a market-leading platform for simple, accountable, and transparent construction quality assurance. Simon has a Bachelor’s Degree in Building Science from Victoria University Wellington.