Jay Kwan, Managing Director and Head of Europe at QuadReal Property Group, joins me on the People Property Place Podcast this week.
We cover Jay’s global journey from humble beginnings in LA, to Lehman Brothers, to leading international investment teams at Soros and TPG, and now spearheading QuadReal’s growth across Europe.
Jay shares hard-won lessons on capital cycles, navigating workouts, and building trust-based partnerships across multiple markets. He breaks down the thinking behind QuadReal’s platform strategy, sector convictions, and how they deploy long-term capital flexibly across the risk curve.
If you're interested in global real estate investing, institutional capital, platform-building, or market timing, this episode is worth your time.
Key Topics Covered in This Episode:
• Breaking into real estate through Lehman Brothers and surviving the “Squid Game” analyst culling
• Gaining an edge through international experience across Asia, Europe, the US and Russia
• Learning through workouts, restructurings and JV fallouts that shaped his investment approach
• Building QuadReal in Europe from scratch. First hires, first deals, and their conviction-led strategy
• Why cultural and ethical alignment matter more than strategy
• Want to partner with QuadReal? Jay shares what they look for in an operating partner
• Navigating market uncertainty and geopolitical risk while staying agile
• The myth of permanence and how sectors can shift faster than expected
· Why you shouldn’t chase a pay cheque, instead focus on stacking skills, take international chances, and look for asymmetric opportunities.
And finally...
With £500m to invest, which People, what Property, and which Place would he choose?
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