The Distribution by Juniper Square Ep. 20: The Past, Present and Future of Office - Lisa Picard - Former CEO of EQ Office and Advisor to Sway Ventures
Lisa Picard is the former CEO of EQ Office and currently serves as an advisor to Sway Ventures.
Lisa’s 25-year career spans nearly every area in real estate, having developed $8+ billion in complex ground-up projects. Most recently, she was the CEO of Blackstone’s office investment platform, EQ Office, leading the 200-person organization and strategy for a portfolio valued at over $27 billion.
Lisa has a track record for innovative, high-quality projects that push the market in areas of customer experience and sustainability. Lisa holds two master's degrees from MIT and continues to lecture on topics including design thinking and mindful leadership, as well as driving innovation and understanding risk. Prior to Blackstone, she opened the West Coast office for Skanska Commercial Development, launching four development deals in five years valued at over $3 billion (with successful exits to institutional investors).
Lisa has also held leadership positions at Canyon Ranch Resorts and Hines and spent several years developing investment strategies for three different institutional funds on new and existing multifamily and industrial assets.
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Topics:
(00:02:25) Lisa’s background and career
(00:14:00) What was your experience at Blackstone and moving into PE from development?
(00:21:49) Leadership Lessons from the Pandemic
(00:24:46) What are you hoping to unlock in real estate through technology?
(00:33:21) What should founders know about the RE technology sector?
(00:37:20) What are you predicting for the future of Office?
(00:46:33) What is your thesis on the fundamental health of gateway cities?
(00:50:13) What happens to some of these obsolescent assets?
(00:52:57) What advice would you give to operators?