By Christian Coates '19
On Friday, March 2nd 2018, the Real Estate Association and the Paul Milstein Center for Real Estate co- hosted the 9th annual Columbia Business School Real Estate Career Forum. The Career Forum offers companies from a wide array of real estate sectors the opportunity to connect in person with first- and second-year Columbia MBA students who are in the process of recruiting. This year’s event brought together 25 real estate companies and nearly 100 Columbia MBA students for a morning of networking. The participating companies represented numerous real estate segments including development, private equity, REITs, and real estate startups. While the event provides a tremendous opportunity for students to meet with firm representatives, it is also a fantastic opportunity for the alumni and professionals in attendance to connect with one another, with the first hour of the event reserved for networking prior to the students’ arrival.
Real Estate Association Co-President, Jonathan Cohen '18, and Co-VP of Careers for the Real Estate Association, Cindy Lin '18, offered introductory remarks and thanked the attendees for their participation in the forum, emphasizing how important this event is for their fellow MBA students looking to make meaningful connections in the real estate industry. Following the introduction, Professor Tomasz Piskorski, Edward S. Gordon Associate Professor of Real Estate, and Leanne Lachman, President of Lachman Associates and Executive-in-Residence at Columbia Business School, shared some details about the program and the class of students they’d be meeting and then formally welcomed the attendees. Professor Piskorski elaborated on the extensive real estate coursework offered at Columbia Business School, referencing the challenging nature and diverse course offerings of the real estate program. Through these courses, students develop a strong fundamental understanding of real estate equity, debt, and public markets, preparing them to make an immediate impact in their future roles. Leanne Lachman followed Professor Piskorski, highlighting the impressive achievements and qualifications of the current student body. Finally, she thanked the company representatives for helping to expand Columbia’s deep connection to the larger global real estate community.
Following Leanne Lachman’s remarks, the students quickly filled the room and began meeting company representatives. Following two hours of networking, Kerry Kartsonis '19, Co-AVP of Careers for the Real Estate Association, thanked both the students and company representatives for their attendance and encouraged all attendees to participate in future Columbia Business School real estate events. The 9th annual Career Forum proved to be a successful event forging even stronger ties between the Columbia and the larger real estate community.