Since the retirement of Urban Land Institute’s Global CEO Ron Pressman in October 2023, the search for a visionary global leader has taken center stage. As the Institute charts its course in shaping the built environment for transformative impact within communities worldwide, finding the right leader is paramount.
The CEO search has been a collective endeavor spearheaded by a dedicated search committee and firm. Over the past few months, the committee has engaged in numerous interviews with member leaders, Global Board members, senior staff, and others. Almost 700 members and staff were invited to participate in surveys, providing their valuable feedback on the qualities and qualifications required of a permanent CEO. Their insights have been instrumental in shaping the profile of the next Global CEO and defining the pivotal responsibilities, capabilities, and characteristics the future leader must possess.
From the diverse range of feedback, a distinct vision for the ideal candidate has emerged: a forward-thinking strategist and inspiring leader who deeply comprehends that ULI’s true power resides within its members. This visionary leader will fully grasp ULI’s strategic imperatives and unwavering commitment to shaping communities worldwide for enduring impact.
For deeper insights into the CEO search journey, we share here comments from the search committee co-chairs, Clare DeBriere, ULI Americas Executive Committee Chair, and Kristina Raspe, ULI Global Board Member.
UL: Can you provide an overview of the CEO search process thus far?
Search committee: To start the process, we interviewed four reputable search firms and selected Korn Ferry as our search partner, based on a combination of their extensive network, knowledge of ULI, and robust selection process. Korn Ferry immediately embarked on an extended period of consultation with an extensive and diverse group of ULI stakeholders to fully understand the needs of our members and organization, and to understand the critical qualities and ideal experience that our next CEO should have. Korn Ferry worked with us to use this feedback to craft a comprehensive job description, which you can find on our website. We’re pleased to report a strong response to the job posting and Korn Ferry’s search, with an impressive list of interested candidates already.
UL: What is the timeline for the CEO selection process, and what key milestones have been established?
Search committee: We are targeting first-round interviews in April and second-round interviews in May. We aim to select a preferred candidate as we head into the summer. In the meantime, ULI will continue to rely upon the experienced leadership of our co-interim managing directors, Leo Gonzalez and Mary Beth Corrigan, who are doing a fantastic job.
UL: Which stakeholders have been involved in the decision-making process for selecting a new CEO?
Search committee: Diane Hoskins, the chair of the Global Board, created a diverse and engaged selection committee of … Global Board members to select ULI’s next CEO. With the assistance of Korn Ferry we sought feedback, from an extensive group of constituents throughout ULI, regarding the attributes they felt were essential for a candidate to be a successful CEO for ULI. This feedback informed how we created the detailed job description that we published. The constituents we engaged included people at all levels of current and former ULI leadership around the world, as well as ULI staff and members. At the conclusion of the selection process, the committee will make a recommendation to the Global Board, which will ultimately select the candidate, but this entire process has been influenced by the feedback of many important ULI constituents, and we truly appreciate their contributions to the process.
UL: How have you sought input from different levels of the organization, members, and external partners in shaping the CEO profile?
Search committee: Transparency and collaboration were two of our goals for the selection process. To that end, we wanted to ensure that we reached out to all of our stakeholders. Internally, we issued a survey to all ULI employees, asking them their opinions of what attributes they felt were the most valuable for a new CEO. We interviewed our senior staff and past CEOs to get a better understanding of what is needed for the CEO to succeed in managing the organization.
We also sent a similar survey to hundreds of our members—selecting leaders from both the district and national councils, our product council leaders, as well as leaders from of our Centers and the ULI Foundation. Korn Ferry conducted dozens of one-on-one interviews, and we conducted a number of one-on-one interviews, as well. Anyone who reached out and requested to provide input was given the opportunity to do so.
UL: How do you balance industry expertise with leadership and management skills in the selection criteria?
Search committee: The ideal candidate would have a bit of everything—industry expertise, strong leadership skills, and proven management acumen. ULI membership ranges from people new to the profession to those at the absolute top of the profession, so we believe ULI deserves a visionary leader [who] encapsulates all of these important attributes and … uses these skills to serve the broad and diverse needs of the entire global membership.
UL: How are you considering the cultural fit of potential candidates with ULI’s values, mission, and organizational culture?
Search committee: It is a high priority for us that the successful candidate understands the culture of the organization and is committed to growing and evolving the culture with intention in a very positive manner. And that is no easy feat.
UL: In what ways do you see the new CEO building upon the existing organizational culture or bringing in new perspectives?
Search committee: The right candidate will have to have the ability to do both. We have an amazing culture at ULI, but change is constant in our industry, and we can always improve and grow as we evolve with our industry.
UL: How have external trends and challenges in the real estate sector influenced the qualities sought in the new CEO?
Search committee: Change is constant in our industry, and it always has been, so adaptability to external trends and challenges continues to be an attribute required for success in this role. The new CEO will have to be flexible, a great communicator and a creative thinker—all attributes that are critical in today’s challenging real estate environment.
UL: Are there specific industry trends or changes that the new CEO should be well-prepared to navigate?
Search committee: ULI has a stated focus on leading the industry in sustainability, housing attainability, and growing the next generation of diverse real estate leaders. These are areas that our new CEO must be committed to advance and be able to persuasively advocate for, both internally and externally.
UL: How are you addressing diversity and inclusion in the CEO selection process? What steps are being taken to ensure a diverse pool of candidates and an unbiased evaluation process?
Search committee: Diversity and inclusion were part of the stated goals of this process from the very beginning—we are serving a diverse membership, and the products our membership delivers serve diverse communities around the world. Our outreach process to determine candidate attributes was incredibly broad, with the intention of including all perspectives. When we interviewed various firms to work with us on this search, their past successes in attracting and placing diverse candidates was critical in our selection process. Ultimately, we are committed to selecting the absolute best candidate for this role because that is what ULI needs and deserves. The only way to ensure we are doing that is to ensure we are reaching the broadest applicant pool possible.
