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| Pictured from left: Wentao Cai, Jue Shen, Fares Bou Atme, Thomas Sukno |
Now in its third year, the Global Real Estate
Masters program partners the Wisconsin
School of Business real estate program with HEC
Paris, Hong Kong UST, INCAE, and Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance
(SAIF), to provide top ranked international business schools access to
Wisconsin’s renowned real estate expertise. Currently, four students
are living and studying here in Madison. I sat down with them to learn more about why
they pursued the GREM program and see how they are enjoying their time in Madison.
What did you choose
the GREM program and what do you hope to get out of it?
Jue Shen (SAIF): With eight years of experience in various
capacities in corporate finance at the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China,
I wanted to obtain top notch real estate education as the industry becomes
increasingly important in China. Also, gaining understanding between China and
the United States markets is a passion of mine, as I wish to help U.S.
investors access the Chinese real estate market more effectively.
Wentao Cai (SAIF): Given my current job as an advisor to a firm
specializing in new project developments and urban planning in China, I needed a
real estate-based educational framework to effectively apply my knowledge on
the ground.
Fares Bou Atme (HEC Paris): After graduating from the American
University in Beirut with a degree in civil and environmental engineering, and
several years working in sustainable structural design, I knew I wanted to
pursue a career in real estate. I found HEC Paris attractive, especially when
paired with the real estate coursework at Wisconsin. GREM provides a
comprehensive global view of real estate, much more than any other program that
I researched.
Thomas Sukno (HEC Paris): I was initially attracted by an advertisement
at HEC Paris and after a bit of research realized that this was such a highly
rated program. My hope for the program is that it will broaden my horizons into
real estate finance. So far so good!
What do you like most
about the real estate profession?
Jue: I like the finance side of the business, specifically
helping small investors gain access to real estate capital. The
GREM program has also opened my eyes to the REIT structure and I find it quite
interesting.
Fares: I have a passion for the built environment, and a
career in real estate provides the best combination of my various interests in
architecture, civil engineering, urban planning, finance, entrepreneurship,
among others.
Thomas: I appreciate its multi-functional diversity. In real
estate, you are not pigeonholed into one function, but can find a job you like
whether it be in capital markets, construction, appraisal, development, and so
on.
Where do you see
yourself in five years?
Jue: I picture myself working with an asset management
company, along with having a family with a cute kid hopefully!
Fares: Short term, I want to work for a development firm in
the Middle East given the region has huge room for growth, and eventually I
would like to start my own real estate firm.
Thomas: I will work for a Parisian investment banking firm starting
in July that specializes in equity capital markets mainly in Western Europe with
some global reach. I hope to leverage that experience with my entrepreneurial spirit
to start my own company.
What is your
impression of Madison?
Wentao: Madison is the only city I have visited in America
so it’s tough to compare to other cities, but I can say that it is very
livable.
Thomas: It was different than how I pictured a typical American
city. The sense of community is striking and really sets it apart from other
cities.
Jue: The people and community here are great. Madison is a
very suitable place to live. The winter months are interesting to say the
least. I am amazed by both the amount of snow and the fact that people sit in the
middle of a frozen lake to ice fish!
Thank you to each student for answering our questions and it certainly has been great getting to know them this semester!
Jonathan Brown comes to
Madison from Washington, DC, where he managed downtown Class A office buildings
for Tishman Speyer. Jonathan plans to leverage his prior experience with
financial and analytic tools gained during the MBA program to
eventually start his own real estate investment firm.
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