Jeremy Newsum is not fazed by being the first Brit to chair the Urban Land Institute, the US parent organisation of ULI Europe which has its roots in 1930s America and a wide US following. ‘I think it may have come as a shock to some Americans. But luckily they like the accent,’ he quips with typically British dry humour in an interview with PropertyEU Magazine.
Jeremy Newsum is not fazed by being the first Brit to chair the Urban Land Institute, the US parent organisation of ULI Europe which has its roots in 1930s America and a wide US following. ‘I think it may have come as a shock to some Americans. But luckily they like the accent,’ he quips with typically British dry humour in an interview with PropertyEU Magazine.
The jesting aside, Newsum believes he is well equipped to be the figurehead of what has become an international organisation. ‘I would describe myself as non-aligned. My professional responsibilities have always been international, rather than national, so I know what it means to be internationally active,’ says the executive trustee of the Grosvenor Estate, a portfolio of businesses, rural estates and other investments, including property company Grosvenor whose EUR 15 bn in assets are spread across four continents.
Nor is ULI the American-centred organisation it once was. ‘ULI is not a US body putting out posts all over the world. It is a worldwide mix of experiences and ideas and its membership is spreading across the globe,’ stresses Newsum. ‘My hope is that I, as a non-American, can help further promote the idea of ULI being international and become a bridge between the Americas, Europe, and Asia to stimulate a greater exchange of information.’
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