Irish commercial property sector 'more sophisticated and sustainable'

What's your name?

John Bruder

What’s your company and describe your role?

MD, Burlington Real Estate. I lead the team in Burlington, which is one of the largest independent property investment and development management consultancies in Ireland, specialising in the office, retail, residential and industrial sectors.

How long have you held the position?

I co-founded Burlington in 2012 having previously been chief executive of Treasury Holdings in Ireland for 12 years. Before that I was head of property at AIB Investment Managers.

What are your day-to-day responsibilities?

Very broad-ranging, but all revolve around our core service of identifying and executing opportunities to protect and create value for our clients in respect of their property portfolios. One of my current priorities is the new Irish commercial property investment fund which we have launched in partnership with Appian Asset Managers.

What is your professional background?

Chartered Surveyor. In 2001/2002 I had the honour of serving as President of the Society of Chartered Surveyors in Ireland.

Tell me about yourself away from work?

After the four wonderful women in my life, I love the outdoors and enjoy walking in the hills in Ireland and further afield.

Tell us something very few people know about you?

The highpoint of my extracurricular career to date was reaching the summit of Kilimanjaro at 5,895m.

You are speaking at The Sunday Business Post’s 2017 Commercial Property Summit. What are you speaking about?

I am a panellist and am looking forward to participating in the discussion following the speakers' presentations.

What challenges do you see for the sector?

As chairman this year of the Urban Land Institute in Ireland, I am acutely aware of a broad range of challenges facing the sector, most of which are the result of the recovery in our market after the greatest downturn in living memory. These challenges include the acute scarcity of residential accommodation in Dublin and our major cities, the capacity constraints in various areas of the construction industry and the demand from occupiers for ever greater flexibility. As always, the winners in our industry are the ones who can turn these and other challenges into opportunities.

Where do you see the commercial property sector in 10 years time?

I believe that the commercial property sector in Ireland will thrive over the next 10 years as it is a much more sophisticated and sustainable one since the crash, with many new players and stakeholders both domestic and international active in all areas. This will ensure that the sector operates in line with international best practice and organisations such as ULI will facilitate this process.

John Bruder, managing director of Burlington Real Estate, is appearing at the Sunday Business Post Commercial Property Summit on June 15 at the AVIVA Stadium. For more information on this event, please seewww.commercialpropertysummit.ie