ULI Korea and Aegis Asset Management Hold Conference on Urban Sustainability

[Asia Economy Reporter Minji Lee] The global urban real estate research organization ULI (Urban Land Institute) and Aegis Asset Management announced on the 7th that they will hold a global conference on the 13th to explore trends in ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) and urban mobility and to envision the future of sustainable cities.

Aegis Asset Management, which is seeking to integrate ESG into the space business, is participating as a major sponsor and program partner in this ‘ULI Korea 2021 Annual Conference.’ The offline event will be held at the Conrad Hotel in Yeouido, Seoul, and will be broadcast live online via Zoom to real estate community experts both domestically and internationally.

The theme of this conference is ESG and future urban mobility, which have recently emerged as key topics in the real estate industry. The conference will deeply address the changes that ESG trends affecting the global real estate market will bring to Korea, as well as urban air mobility, which has emerged to solve urban transportation and environmental issues.

Experts from the public, private, and academic sectors both domestic and abroad will participate in presentations and discussions by topic. The morning first session of the conference, titled ‘Global ESG Trends and Impact,’ will feature presentations by Billy Grayson, Vice President of ULI’s Sustainable Economy Research Institute; Marta Shantz, Vice President of ULI’s Greenprint Institute; and Chang Wei Ng, Head of Allianz Real Estate Asia-Pacific. Seowon Bin, Executive Director of Brookfield Korea, will moderate the panel discussion.

The second session’s theme is ‘Domestic ESG Status and Strategy.’ Presenters include Inkyu Baek, Head of Deloitte Anjin ESG Center; Jaehun Jang, CEO of JLL Korea; and Giyeol Lee, Managing Director of Aegis Asset Management. This session will provide an overview of the domestic ESG status, the impact of ESG on the office building sector, and ESG strategies from the perspectives of real estate development and management. The discussion will be moderated by Jaryeong Choi, Partner at Nomura Korea Research Institute.

The afternoon session begins with the theme ‘UAM.’ Presenters include Najinhang, Director of Future Drone Transportation at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport; Mincheol Jung, Head of Strategic Planning at Korea Airports Corporation; and Jaewon Shin, President of Hyundai Motor Group’s UAM Business Division. Managing Director Hesub Lee of Deloitte Anjin will lead the discussion. Notably, President Shin, an industry expert who previously served as the Director General of the Aeronautics Research Directorate at NASA and co-chair of the Aeronautics Science and Technology Committee of the White House National Science and Technology Council, is expected to provide compelling insights into the opportunities and challenges of the UAM industry.

The final session of the conference will discuss ‘Sustainable Mobility from a Global Perspective.’ Presenters include Jinyoung Park, Head of Overseas Business Division at Seoul Housing and Communities Corporation; Blaine Leonard, Technical Advisor at Utah Department of Transportation, USA; Graham McCabe, Transportation Advisory Director at URBIS; and Intan Cha, Head of Urban Planning and Design at ARUP. The discussion will be moderated by Yujin Cho, CEO of AECOM Korea.

A conference official said, “We hope for great interest and participation in this conference, which features top global experts in ESG and urban mobility,” adding, “It will provide useful information and many implications regarding future sustainable urban mobility and the innovative UAM industry for realizing future cities.”