Simon Durkin

Head of European Research, BlackRock Real Assets

Simon is Head of European Research for BlackRock Real Assets and has over 25 years’ experience in real estate strategy and research. Simon’s team work alongside BlackRock’s investment teams and clients, advising on investment strategy, discussing thought leadership and articulating house views.

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) where he sat on the Investment Committee for both direct real estate and infrastructure.

He has also held senior positions at PPR Inc (now part of the CoStar Group) and IPD (now MSCI).

Simon studied real estate investment and finance at City University’s Cass 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, and has been published in The Journal of Property Investment and Finance and a range of European industry publications.