Artificial intelligence may be changing how work gets done, but throughout NAREIM’s Talent Management Meeting, held in Chicago this week, one message remained remarkably consistent: the future of work is still fundamentally about people.
Across discussions on executive coaching, total rewards, AI transformation, and leadership development, attendees explored how organizations are adapting to an increasingly complex workplace. While every organization is on a different path, the conversations revealed a common priority: preparing leaders, employees, and workplace cultures to navigate rapid change.
The discussions made clear that while technology continues to accelerate transformation, lasting success will depend on organizations that invest in the human side of work.
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“AI-native firms” built around generative AI technology from day one could gain an advantage over competitors trying to adapt legacy processes, attendees heard last week during NAREIM’s Virtual Exchange Series: Technology, Data & AI Survey Analysis.
Yet established firms possess something newcomers will struggle to replicate: the trust of their investors, which they have spent years nurturing.
“AI-native firms that will compete the best will be those that pull people together from legacy firms, so they have that incumbent trust that’s there, but they are going to be rebuilding that factory from scratch.”
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Now in its 18th year, the GMS draws on responses from 79 firms spanning a wide range of strategies, sizes, and geographies, providing industry leaders with benchmarks across capital raising, financial performance, organizational structure, staffing, and governance.
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The modern portfolio manager remains responsible for setting investment strategy and serving as a “steady pair of hands” in difficult moments, attendees heard at NAREIM’s Portfolio Management meeting held in New York City last week.
But the role is expanding, encompassing more client interaction, reporting responsibilities, knowledge transfer, and significantly more travel than in years past.
“Part of the role is also therapist. It’s explaining that real estate is a cycle and talking folks off the ledge, both colleagues who are less seasoned and investors.”
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The role of asset management is expanding well beyond traditional oversight responsibilities. Today’s asset managers are increasingly expected to act as strategists, operators, capital allocators, data stewards, technology advocates, and organizational connectors, as heard during NAREIM’s Asset Management Meeting held last week in New York City.
Whether the topic was expense optimization, acquisitions alignment, portfolio strategy, team structure, or technology adoption, the conversations consistently pointed to a profession that is becoming more central to investment performance than ever before.
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A new benchmarking report from NAREIM industry partner PwC looks at how GPs are structuring management fees, incentive economics, and expense governance in today’s competitive capital-raising environment.
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AIFMD should not be viewed solely as a fundraising regulation, attendees heard at NAREIM’s Virtual Exchange Series: Implications of AIFMD2, held this week.
The directive was originally designed to create a pan-European framework for investor and market protection following the global financial crisis, attendees heard. While firms most often experience the rules through marketing restrictions, investor disclosures, and registration requirements, the broader objective is systemic oversight, providing regulators with greater visibility into fund structures, delegation arrangements, liquidity management, leverage, and operational risk.
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“Coaching is about helping someone think, not telling them what to do. It’s asking: ‘What do you want from your career?’ not ‘Here’s what you should do next,’” attendees heard at NAREIM’s Hispanic Real Estate Roundtable held in New York this week.
Trust is central to the coaching relationship. It involves providing constructive criticism as well as encouragement, coming from a place of genuine care.
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In the 2026 NAREIM Survey, conducted in partnership with Juniper Square, 72 professionals across 38 firms paint a consistent picture: AI adoption has outpaced data quality, governance, and talent readiness.
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Health insurance costs continue to climb for real estate investment firms, yet most employers are opting for stability over disruption, according to a NAREIM member pulse survey conducted in January 2026.
Premiums increased for 81% of respondents. Even so, 88% of firms chose to retain their existing medical carriers rather than switch, demonstrating a preference for continuity amid a complex benefits landscape.
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