Laura is Senior Vice President, Head of Global ESG Strategy atHeitman, a real estate investment manager with ~$44billion in private equity, debt and securities investments across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. She identifies ESG(Environmental, Social, and Governance)investment opportunities and solutions, and leads the ESGplatform to establish systematic approaches to embed ESG into investment decision-making and management of investments.
Heiman’s mission statement is “Investing Today with a Focus on Tomorrow”; ultimately, we seek to improve the world in which we live and work, while delivering the investment outcomes our investors require. We believe integrating ESG considerations provides opportunities to create value, reduce risk, and enhance investment returns.
Recently, Laura leads a Heitman partnership with Urban Land Institute (ULI)to publish a report, Climate Risk and Real Estate Investment Decision-Making, which explores current methods for assessing and mitigating climate risk in real estate. The report is based on insights from more than 25 investors and investment managers in Europe, North America, and Asia Pacific, as well as existing research. Heitman’s approach to evaluating real estate climate risk is highlighted within the report’s case studies.
Currently, Laura is the co-chair of Pension Real Estate Association (PREA)Innovation Affinity Group and is a member of ULI GreenprintCenter for Buildings Performance’sPerformance Committee. She is a graduate of Urban Land Institute’s Center for Leadership and a LEED Accredited Professional, having overseen over 150LEED certifications, IREM certifications, Energy Star Label ratings, and Green Globes designations.
Prior to joining Heitman, she spent 10 years at LaSalle Investment Management, where she began in LaSalle’s valuation and asset management groups and transitioned to develop the firm’s Global Sustainability Platform. Laura’s early career experience includes market data coverage at real estate brokerage company, Grubb & Ellis | Barkley Fraser, as well as Building Information Modeling (BIM) research and development at SmartBIM. Laura received a double BA in Real Estate and Business Management from the University of Georgia, where she was one of 30 UGA students to earn a Leonard Leadership Scholar Certification.