In addition, Marion Waller, advisor to the Mayor of Paris, has won the ULI European Talent Award for real estate professionals aged 40 or under.

The awards have been announced during the ULI’s annual Europe conference, which is being held virtually this week, and recognise industry leaders in Europe whose contributions to urban development and real estate, along with civic and social endeavours, exemplify the spirit and mission of ULI.

ULI European Leadership Awards Chairman, François Trausch, highlighted the achievements of the winners during an online ceremony on Tuesday.

The organisation described Lewis as ‘a British American businessman regarded as one of the most creative and consummate professionals in the international real estate management industry’.

As executive chairman and CIO of London-based Tristan Capital Partners, he is part of a firm he co-founded that has grown to more than 140 staff in eight locations – the core team has worked together for 20 years.

The ULI said, ‘He has played a pioneering role in increasing diversity, equity and inclusion in the real estate industry and ranked first in the Powerlist 2019, an annual list of the UK’s most influential people with African of Afro-Caribbean heritage.

Diversity
'Ric really exemplifies the values of leadership and vision,’ said Trausch, who is also CEO of Allianz Real Estate. ‘He has built an impressive real estate business comprising a loyal global investor base and been an inspiration for many people looking to enter the industry. His commitment to increasing diversity in real estate and helping others from less fortunate backgrounds makes him a very worthy winner of the ULI European Leader Award.’

Lewis’ charity, The Black Heart Foundation, seeks to improve less advantaged children’s access to quality education which has endowed more than 250 scholarships. He has also funded ULI UK’s UrbanPlan – a classroom-based programme that teaches high school students about the forces of urban regeneration.

‘I think it’s important for me to be a role model and a trail blazer,’ said Lewis. ‘The real estate industry does not have enough diversity, whether that’s by gender or ethnicity or background, and it’s a priority for me to demonstrate that the industry can be inclusive. It is a great honour to be recognised by my peers for winning the ULI European Leader Award and it will spur me on to even greater action – I feel like I’m just getting started.’

The online ceremony also celebrated the 2021 ULI European Talent Award, which has been won by 28-year-old Waller.

‘Marion has already achieved so much at such a young age,’ said Trausch. ‘She is well-respected by senior figures in the real estate industry from both the public and private sectors, which she has helped bring together.’

She is recognised for her academic work, as well as her career at Paris City Hall, and published her first book, Ârtefacts naturels, in 2016 about ecological restoration and the ways of reinhabiting nature.

‘I love the idea of shaping the city, shaping buildings, and having a positive impact on the environment through action,’ said Waller. ‘It’s fantastic to be recognised with the ULI European Talent Award for something which has become a great passion to me. What I would like to achieve is to continue empowering other people to help make positive change and fight for a better urban world for us all.’

ULI Europe Chairman, Marnix Galle, praised the two winners for the contributions that they had made to the industry and wider communities, and said: ‘Ric is a leading figure in the real estate industry and has been able to combine great success with incredible generosity and warmth. He is a builder of businesses and is well known for bringing the real estate industry community together. Meanwhile Marion has demonstrated that age is not an impediment to making a serious impact in the industry. She has managed huge urban design projects at a very young age, challenging the status quo and impressing very senior figures in real estate with her knowledge and practicality to get things done. They are both an inspiration to us all.’

The two winners were selected by the ULI European Leadership Awards Jury.

Trish Barrigan
Lisette van Doorn, ULI Europe CEO, announced as part of the online ceremony that a new award category will be included for next year’s ULI European Leadership Awards in honour of ULI Key Leader Trish Barrigan, co-founder and managing partner of Benson Elliot Capital Management, who passed away last year.

The ULI European Trish Barrigan Award for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) will be awarded to an individual standing out for his or her leadership and contribution in advancing and promoting DEI in the real estate industry and broader community in Europe.