FEATURE: MIPIM IN EVOLUTION
‘I want MIPIM to be as open as possible’ Nicolas Kozubek, the new managing director of MIPIM Markets, talks to MIPIM News about his ambitions for the world’s favourite real estate exhibition
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fter four years of driving MIPIM’s evolution and expanding the kind of firms it represents as director of its proptech showcase, Propel by MIPIM, Nicolas Kozubek has been appointed managing director of MIPIM Markets. Nicolas talks to MIPIM News about how that experience has shaped his view of real estate, and where the future of MIPIM might lie. What were the key lessons of managing Propel by MIPIM? Why is proptech so important in real estate today?
Nicolas Kozubek: Over these last three years, it has been a daily pleasure to work in the tech and innovation space. In this world, people love to question things, think about how they could be done in a different and perhaps better way; they are very transparent and love to learn from their peers. This genuinely collaborative approach is refreshing. Proptech folk clearly have some of the answers to the questions that the real estate industry is asking today, and sustainability is amongst the most important. On the other hand, you get to understand that tech is a means
and not an end, and that establishing the right conversations, the right partnerships, and the right connections, cannot be done overnight. Perseverance and purpose are key. The market tends to illustrate the importance of proptech through funding volumes, which is quite limiting but always instructive. In 2021, private investment into the sector reached a record $32bn, according to the Center for Real Estate Technolog y and Innovation. That’s interesting, but I think it’s even more striking to see how many real estate companies communicate about the importance of tech and innovation. It has become a must, and even if we obviously need
to differentiate communication from real ambition, it clearly says something about where real estate industry leaders are looking. Can you share your professional journey that brought you to this stage in your career? I have actually spent my entire professional journey in and around real estate. I started my career at Unibail-Rodamco (now Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield), where I stayed for nearly 10 years, with roles ranging from shopping-centre management on some major assets (Rosny 2 and Les Quatre Temps and CNIT in La Defense) to a
MIPIM NEWS 3 • 40 • MARCH 17, 2022
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