Commercial Property

The Reit man: how Dr Bill Nowlan helped shape the Dublin cityscape

Property industry veteran Dr Bill Nowlan, who has just received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the National Property Awards, says his road to Damascus moment came when he started working with Focus Ireland

Bill Nowlan, founder of WK Nowlan Property and subsequently Hibernia Reit: Presently at least 30 per cent, and possibly up to 50 per cent, of families can’t afford to self house and need state support to secure accommodation.Picture: Fergal Phillips

Real estate is in Dr Bill Nowlan’s DNA. The industry veteran has come out of retirement at least three times, on one occasion to research for a PhD on how to fund social and affordable housing, and was last week awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2023 National Property Awards.

Hailed by many as a visionary and a down-to-earth, straight-talking solutions man, Nowlan is widely regarded as being instrumental in the introduction of real ...