Robert Steers, cofounder and executive chairman of Cohen & Steers, helped build one of the first investment firms dedicated to listed real estate securities and turn it into a major force in real assets and income investing. He launched the firm with Martin Cohen in 1986, helped take it public in 2004, and spent decades shaping its expansion from a REIT-focused specialist into a broader asset manager with a global footprint. Known for long-term conviction and deep expertise in real estate securities, Steers remains one of the defining figures in modern real-assets investing.

Kevin Marchetti, cofounder and co-executive chairman of Lineage, helped build the company into the world’s largest temperature-controlled warehousing and logistics platform. Through Bay Grove, the investment firm he cofounded with Adam Forste, he backed an ambitious consolidation strategy that transformed a fragmented cold-storage market into a global infrastructure business spanning hundreds of facilities across multiple continents. Known for disciplined long-term investing and operational scale, Marchetti has become one of the central figures in modern cold-chain logistics.

Adam Forste, cofounder and co-executive chairman of Lineage, helped build the company into the world’s largest temperature-controlled warehousing and logistics platform. Through Bay Grove, the investment firm he cofounded with Kevin Marchetti, Forste backed the roll-up and expansion strategy that turned a fragmented cold-storage market into a global infrastructure business spanning hundreds of facilities across multiple continents. Known for pairing private equity discipline with long-term operational ambition, he has become a central figure in modern cold-chain logistics.

Marc Zahr, co-president of Blue Owl Capital and global head of its real assets platform, helped build one of the most important institutional franchises in private real estate and infrastructure income strategies. As founder of Oak Street, the predecessor to Blue Owl’s real assets business, Zahr developed a reputation for pairing durable cash-flow assets with long-term capital, then scaled that strategy inside Blue Owl into a major platform spanning net lease real estate and digital infrastructure. Known for disciplined underwriting and institutional execution, he has become a central figure in the rise of asset-backed alternatives.

Wayne Hughes Jr., chairman of Public Storage, oversees one of the largest self-storage empires in the world, continuing the legacy built by his father, company founder Wayne Hughes. After years in private investing and philanthropy, he assumed a leading role in the publicly traded REIT, guiding strategy across a vast portfolio of storage properties throughout the United States and Europe. Known for low-profile leadership and long-term ownership discipline, Hughes represents a new generation of stewardship within one of the most profitable real estate business models in modern property investing.

Thomas Barrack Jr. is the U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye and the Special Envoy for Syria in the second Trump administration, where he serves as a pivotal figure in Middle Eastern diplomacy. A veteran private equity investor and the founder of Colony Capital (now DigitalBridge), Barrack has leveraged his decades of experience in the region to broker historic regional agreements. In early 2026, he played a lead role in integrating the Syrian government into the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS and oversaw major infrastructure MoUs, including a milestone gas exploration agreement between Syria and Chevron. His current diplomatic portfolio emphasizes regional security through "shared responsibility," successfully managing the complex transition of territory between the Syrian Democratic Forces and the central government in Damascus.

Steven Roth is the Chairman and CEO of Vornado Realty Trust, NYC’s leading landlord. He is the force behind the multi-billion dollar Penn District revitalization, modernizing sites like PENN 1 and PENN 2. His current strategy includes a pivot toward residential projects, like the 484 Eighth Avenue tower, to address the city's housing needs. As head of Alexander’s and a former federal advisor, Roth co-owns major assets like 1290 Sixth Avenue with Donald Trump. A dedicated philanthropist, he supports Dartmouth and the arts. His legacy is defined by a disciplined approach to urban redevelopment, cementing his role as a key architect of Manhattan’s modern skyline.

Steven Rales is the co-founder and chairman of Danaher Corporation, which he and his brother Mitchell transformed from a real estate trust into a global science and technology powerhouse. He is the architect of the Danaher Business System, a management philosophy rooted in Kaizen that emphasizes continuous improvement and has guided the acquisition of hundreds of companies in the life sciences and diagnostics sectors. Under his leadership, Danaher became one of the most successful industrial conglomerates in history, known for its disciplined capital allocation. In addition to his business career, Rales is a significant figure in the film industry as the founder of Indian Paintbrush, the production company behind nearly all of Wes Anderson’s films, and he recently acquired the Criterion Collection to ensure the preservation of classic cinema.

Mortimer Zuckerman, real estate magnate, media executive, and investor, built a multifaceted career spanning property development, publishing, and public policy influence. As longtime chairman and CEO of Boston Properties, he helped create one of the largest publicly traded office real estate investment trusts in the United States, shaping skylines in New York, Boston, and Washington, D.C. In parallel, Zuckerman became a prominent media figure as owner and editor-in-chief of U.S. News & World Report and publisher of the New York Daily News, using his platforms to weigh in on economics, foreign policy, and urban affairs. His career reflects a rare blend of large-scale real estate execution and national media influence.