Our team
Nikodem Szumilo
Nikodem is an Associate Professor at UCL - University College London and the Director of the Bartlett Real Estate Institute, housed within the world's top-ranked faculty of built environment according to QS 2023.
Nikodem previously worked at the London School of Economics after completing his PhD at Cambridge University. He also holds the position of an academic visitor at the Bank of England and serves as a Research Affiliate at the UCL Centre for Finance.
In addition to being published in leading academic outlets, his work has been featured in leading non-academic outlets such as the Financial Times, Harvard Business Review, World Economic Forum - Strategic Intelligence, the Guardian, Bloomberg Businessweek or IPE Magazine.
Thomas Wiegelmann
Thomas is a managing director of Schroder Real Estate and has been working in the real estate industry since 1999 across consultancy, corporate finance and investment management. He is also an Honorary Professor at UCL - University College London, the Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment.
In 2009 Thomas - together with his two partners - was co-founder and managing director of the real estate investment boutique BLUE Asset Management. In May 2019 Schroder acquired the shares in BLUE Asset Management. Schroder is a leading global investment manager operating from 37 countries across Europe, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East and Africa and over 200 years history. Schroder employs more than 5,000 people and is responsible for EUR 815 bln of client assets (as of June 2021).
Thomas received his PhD from Bond University (Australia) and graduated from a post-graduate real estate program at European Business School. He is an alumnus of Harvard Business School, having graduated from the Owner/President Management Program (OPM) in 2017. He sits on the Harvard Real Estate Alumni Board. Thomas participated in the International Directors Program (IDP) at Insead Business School in 2021.
Monika Szumilo
Monika is a Physics Lecturer at University College London, and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy with a passion for teaching practical AI and advancing Machine Learning algorithms. She has been teaching practical AI as well as developing Machine Learning algorithms for research at Imperial College London and UCL since 2020.
Monika's educational background includes completing her MPhil and PhD at the University of Cambridge. She has also taught at institutions such as Imperial College London and City, University of London. Through her diverse teaching experiences, Monika has successfully delivered complex concepts in Data Science, programming, and mathematics to both undergraduate and postgraduate students. Her expertise spans across a wide array of disciplines, encompassing Physics, Astronomy, Aerospace Engineering, as well as Business and Management.
Chris Urwin
Chris Urwin is a renowned global real estate expert, recognised for his expertise in developing successful investment strategies through quantitative approaches. He has extensive experience in building predictive models and producing influential research, enhancing investment performance and business outcomes.
As the founder of Real Global Advantage, he blends institutional expertise with pioneering data analytics. Chris's extensive experience in real estate investment management and advisory roles has established him as a respected voice in the industry.