Simon Durkin

Simon is Global Head of Real Estate Research and Strategy at BlackRock Equity Private Markets and has over 25 years’ experience in real estate and infrastructure strategy and research. At BlackRock Simon works alongside investment teams, portfolio management and clients, advising on investment strategy, authoring thought leadership, and articulating house views. Simon also sits on the European Investment Committee for real estate equity and on the Global Investment Committee for value-add real estate.

At BlackRock Simon is closely aligned with the BlackRock Investment Institute leveraging the firm's vast expertise and knowledge, generating proprietary research to provide insights on the global economy, markets, geopolitics and long-term asset allocation.

Previously he was Head of Research for BNP Paribas Real Estate leading a team of economists and forecasters, and European Head of Research & Strategy for DWS’s real assets platform (formerly RREEF).

Simon studied real estate investment and finance at City University’s Bayes Business School in London and was awarded an MBA at Warwick Business School. He is a member of the Investment Property Forum, the Cambridge University Real Estate Research Group, the Society of Property Researchers, has been published in The Journal of Property Investment and Finance and regularly contributes towards a range of industry publications.