Nick Porter is CEO and Founder of The Dot Group and has been pioneering the student living sector for 30 years. He founded the Unite Group in 1991, when student accommodation was associated with ageing university halls and dodgy digs. The firm was listed nine years later and is today part of the FTSE 100. Porter went on to found Urbanest in Australia and then Global Student Accommodation (GSA) in 2013, amassing a portfolio spanning nine countries. Nick now leads The Dot Group, an entire student living ecosystem including GSA, operator and management platform Yugo, and Student.com.

Aaron Bailey is Head of Real Estate Projects at GSA, where he is responsible for development activity and project delivery across the company's global portfolio, including across Europe, Australia, Japan and the U.S.A.

Aaron joined GSA in 2015 and has held senior roles including Head of Construction, Development Director for UK & Ireland, and Director of EMEA Projects. He has over 20 years's experience in construction and real estate, having previously worked at Unite Group, Kier Group, Galliford Try, and BOUYGUES UK.

Anouk Darling is the CEO of Student Living and BTR of The Living Company, overseeing the nation's largest Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) platform. Under her leadership, the student living portfolio has expanded to more than A$13 billion in assets, with over 20,000 apartments and a pipeline of 5,000+ units across student and now also Build-to-Rent. Recognised as CEO Magazine's CEO of the Year in 2024, Anouk is a respected leader in housing policy and urban design, serving as Chair of the Student Accommodation Council and Board Director of the Property Council of Australia. She champions sector innovation and women's leadership through start-up investment and mentorship.

Karan Khanna joined Unite Students in March 2021 and became Chief Operating Officer in January 2024. He leads the company's operational and commercial functions, overseeing health and safety, estates, student experience, sales and marketing. He was previously the Managing Director for UK and Ireland at InterContinental Hotels Group, where he was responsible for more than 350 hotels and 3,000 team members.

Aly leads Forum's Real Estate business and is a member of Forum's Investment Committee, with a focus on originations and overseeing real estate investments. He brings extensive experience across urban development, institutional asset management and value-add and opportunistic investing. Prior to Forum, Aly was EVP, Investments & Asset Management at Hullmark, where he helped grow AUM 15-fold to nearly $1 billion and developed partnerships with leading institutional investors. Previously, he held investment roles with Westmont Hospitality Group. Over his career, Aly has been involved in more than $6 billion of principal investments and arranged over $1.5 billion in debt financings.

Joe is Yugo's Global Chief Operating Officer and a student and residential housing specialist with more than 20 years' experience in global operational real estate. He leads a world-class team focused on enhancing the student experience while delivering strong outcomes for investors and institutional partners. His experience spans major markets across the US, Europe and APAC, with a proven track record of building high-performing businesses and teams that drive operational excellence, sustainable growth and long-term value.

Pavlina Chandras is Head of Operations for EQT Real Estate's Europe Living platform and a voting member of the Investment Committee. Working across multiple European markets, she partners closely with internal teams and operating partners to enhance asset performance, strengthen commercial and operational execution, and deliver exceptional resident experiences.

Her focus is on building the infrastructure that enables a growing Living platform to scale effectively, establishing clear standards and best practices, improving performance visibility and accountability, and balancing centralised expertise with strong local execution.

Shelby Weiss joined GREYKITE in 2024 as a Principal and is responsible for originating and executing new investments and managing portfolio companies. Her broad remit covers pan-European strategies within the residential, logistics and digital infrastructure sectors.

Prior to joining GREYKITE, Shelby worked at Goldman Sachs in London and New York for nine years. She was most recently part of the European real estate investing team based in London, covering pan-European credit as well as UK and Ireland equity investments, and leading the residential and logistics strategies in the UK.

From 2014 to 2017, she was based in New York with Goldman Sachs and worked in the Investment Banking Division's Financial Institutions and Real Estate Financing Groups. Prior to relocating to London, Shelby spent two years at PIMCO, covering real estate equity and credit strategies in the US.

Shelby holds a BSc in Economics from Duke University.

Beth Spilchuk is Vice President of Operations at HOEM Management, a purpose-built student housing operator in Toronto. With almost 20 years in the industry, starting on the ground at the University of Toronto in 2007 and working her way up to Vice President, she has built her career on the unglamorous, high-stakes work that keeps buildings running and students satisfied.

Beth is leading HOEM's expansion into a full student-experience ecosystem, adding new properties, amenities and services designed around how students actually live.

Laura is Managing Director of Fusion's operating platform, where she leads the delivery and evolution of the business's operational strategy and student experience. She is responsible for ensuring that Fusion's living environments are commercially effective, operationally robust and aligned with the evolving needs of its residents.

With over a decade of experience in the PBSA sector, Laura has a strong commercial track record, working with leading brands to drive performance, optimise revenue and deliver long-term value. She is a relationship-driven collaborator, focused on building partnerships and creating strategies that balance customer experience with sustainable business growth.

Her experience managing teams across China and South Asia has given her valuable insight into international student markets, strengthening Fusion's approach to demand generation, customer understanding and global engagement. She brings a deep appreciation of how culturally informed, well-executed strategies can unlock commercial opportunities and enhance performance.

Laura combines strategic oversight with a sharp eye for detail, ensuring that both operational delivery and resident experience meet the highest standards.

Samantha Broderick is an inspirational leader in the student accommodation sector, recognised for her strategic vision and inclusive, people-first approach to leadership. Her career in project and people management spans 25 years, nearly 10 of which have been in student accommodation.

As Divisional Operations Director, Sam plays a pivotal role in the organisation's growth and success. Her leadership has built high-performing, engaged teams that are committed to delivering exceptional experiences for clients and residents.

Zejian leads Far East Orchard's PBSA business, with responsibility for expanding the portfolio across the UK and other strategic markets. He oversees investment strategy, operations and the performance of all assets under management, while also spearheading the company's expansion into the UK co-living sector.

In addition, Zejian serves as a non-executive director on the boards of Homes for Students, VervLife and Orla.

Niamh joined Summix in 2016 to drive the firm's expansion in the student accommodation and PRS sectors, where she is responsible for all aspects of investment origination and execution.

Niamh is also a board member at Centrepoint, the UK's leading youth homelessness charity, which provides housing and support for young people in London, Manchester, Yorkshire and the North East.

Prior to Summix, Niamh founded and ran NOC Consultancy, an independent advisory firm serving property investors, developers and construction companies. She was previously Head of Business Development and co-owner of TPI Limited, a UK-based project management and quantity surveying firm. Niamh began her career in the construction industry in the Cayman Islands.

She holds a BA (Hons) in French Literature from University College London.

Joanne Pollard is an accomplished executive leader with over 12 years of high-profile experience in the Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) and Build-to-Rent (BTR) sectors across the UK and Europe. As Chief Operating Officer at Livensa Group, she leads the platform's operational strategy and international expansion across core European markets, including Germany, Spain, Italy and Portugal.

An expert in customer-centric operations, strategic business growth and brand equity, Joanne previously served as COO at Empiric Student Property PLC and held director-level positions at Prime Student Living and Campus Living Villages.

In addition to her corporate leadership, Joanne is a passionate advocate for diversity and talent development in real estate. She is an active mentor for the WinPBSA (Women in PBSA) initiative, helping to shape the next generation of female leaders in the sector.

Joanne holds an MBA from the University of Bradford.

Darren Gardner is a commercially savvy, people-first leader with over 20 years’ experience across Europe, the US and beyond. Currently COO at Amro Partners and former CEO/COO of Nido Living, he’s scaled international platforms, built award-winning brands and driven standout growth. Known for his energy, straight-talking style and sense of humour, Darren is passionate about creating high-performing teams, thriving communities, and businesses people genuinely enjoy being part of.

Tim is the founder & CEO of GSL.

After a technology career spanning everything from mobile phone networks in Africa to medical data analytics software in the US, Tim returned to the UK to establish Red Brick Research - now one of the world's most respected market research agencies specialising in higher education.

After passing Red Brick into employee ownership in 2021, Tim launched GSL with a mission to become the world's leading market and consumer intelligence partner for PBSA. Since 2021, GSL has expanded into BTR and Co-Living with clients in 19 countries across 5 continents.

In addition to leading the GSL team, Tim is a regular conference speaker and occasional broadcast news contributor. He enjoys travel, politics, food, family and a good argument.

David Campbell is Managing Director of LUMYA Living, a pan-European residential operator running student, co-living, micro-living and serviced apartment assets across the UK, Germany and Austria. He is also a Director of Nova Verde Software, which is commercialising the property and asset management platform LUMYA built for its own estate.

Twenty years in operational real estate: COO of a 32,000-bed platform across seven countries, Managing Director of a €1.5bn micro-living business he returned to profit in three years, and FM due diligence lead on a £1.3bn portfolio acquisition. Before that, 22 years in the British Army, ending as Military Orderly to HRH The Prince of Wales, now King Charles III.

He speaks on multi-typology operating models, operator-built technology, and what actually moves NOI.

Seb Horst is Investment Director at Tiger Developments, a UK developer and investor in the living and hospitality sectors, including purpose-built student accommodation, co-living and hotels. He leads the investment team, sourcing and structuring development and acquisition opportunities and managing relationships with capital partners. Seb has worked on over £400m of investment and development deals, spanning forward funding, joint ventures, direct development and advisory, including a partnership of over £125m with Partners Group. He brings over 15 years' experience and moderates this year's investment session.

Jessica has worked in real estate investment for over 20 years – starting out her career at BNP Paribas, before joining Deutsche Bank’s real estate funds business in 2004. She enjoyed a successful, varied career with Deutsche Bank and DWS; first leading transaction teams culminating in €12bn of transactions, and subsequently running European fund management for international investors.

Jessica was a pioneer and trusted portfolio manager for the wave of inward capital flows from Asian institutional clients from 2011. She built a multi-billion assets under management (AuM) business for Deutsche Bank, utilising her skills in business building, leadership and investment solutions. In 2023, she became the CEO of DWS UK, overseeing 500 staff and over €200bn AuM across Global Alternatives and Passive public market strategies.

Jessica stepped out of DWS in 2024 to co-found Aboria Capital. As CEO, her ambition is to create an innovative, leading vertically integrated partner for investors in the European Living sector market.

In July 2024, Jessica became the President of the British Property Federation (BPF) and joined the board of INREV.

Simon Griffiths is a senior operations executive with extensive experience leading complex, multi-country organizations across Europe. As Senior Vice President of Operations Europe, he is responsible for driving operational excellence, business performance, and customer experience across diverse markets. Simon has a strong track record of leading high-performing teams, delivering strategic transformation initiatives, and optimizing operational efficiency while fostering a culture of accountability and continuous improvement. Known for his collaborative leadership style and commercial focus, he partners closely with stakeholders at all levels to achieve sustainable growth, strengthen organizational capability, and deliver exceptional results for customers, employees, and business partners.

Justin leads Tribera with a vision for innovation, growth, and community-driven living. With a strong background in real estate, investment, and operations, he drives the company’s strategic direction, ensuring seamless experiences for residents while expanding Tribera presence in key markets.

Lydia Mensforth is Associate Director, Real Estate at GSA, where she has spent the past decade in development, design, and real estate leadership roles. With almost two decades of experience in the purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) sector, Lydia currently leads technical due diligence, value-add initiatives, and façade remediation projects across an international portfolio.

Originally from an operational background, Lydia has held positions with Unite, Liberty Living, and The Student Housing Company, giving her a broad understanding of the student accommodation lifecycle. Her expertise spans technical due diligence, building safety, compliance, refurbishment strategy, portfolio integration, and value creation.

Lydia holds a Master's degree in Project Management from the University of Reading and is a committee member of the WinPBSA (Women in PBSA) initiative.

Dave is a marketer with over 15 years’ experience in both in-house and digital agencies and has a unique understanding of the customer journey. He brings a data and insights-focussed approach to all areas of our Gen Z marketing strategy, as well as teamworking and excellence across all aspects of the business.

Across his career at Homes for Students, he has been instrumental in innovating and changing the way the company reaches customers and residents, supporting the wider business objectives and thrives on creating sector-leading solutions and outcomes.