Chaim Katzman
Founder & Chairman, Steering Committee, G City Real Estate Institute
Chaim Katzman Founder & Chairman, Steering Committee, G City Real Estate Institute is the founder, controlling shareholder and CEO of G City Ltd (formerly known as Gazit Globe Ltd), a leading international real estate company listed on the Tel Aviv and New York Stock Exchanges. As the CEO Mr. Katzman leads global operations and affiliate and subsidiary activities and oversees approximately $11 billion in assets (over 100 properties in over a dozen countries) in the USA, Canada, Europe, Israel and Brazil. Mr. Katzman is also the Chairman of both Citycon Oyj (OMX: CTY), an owner, developer and operator of shopping centers in the Nordic and Baltic and market leader in the Nordic shopping center sector and Atrium European Real Estate (VSX/Euronext Amsterdam: ATR), a leading real estate company that owns, operates and develops shopping centers in Central and Eastern Europe. He is also the CEO and the Vice Chairman of Norstar Holdings Inc. (TLV: NSTR), the parent company of G City Ltd. Mr. Katzman was the Founder and Chairman of Equity One, Inc. (NYSE: EQY), a leading supermarket anchored shopping center REIT focused on urban communities which merged in 2017 with Regency Centers (NYSE: REG) forming a leading shopping center REIT, included in the S&P 500, where Mr. Katzman was the Vice Chairman. Mr. Katzman also previously served as Chairman of First Capital Realty Inc. (TSX: FCR), a leading Canadian real estate company. Mr. Katzman is a well-known civic leader, philanthropist and supporter of numerous organizations.
In 2011, he founded the G City Real Estate Institute (formerly the Gazit-Globe Real Estate Institute) at Reichman University (formerly IDC Herzliya). A pioneer of the investment and development industry, Mr. Katzman is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT), the Real Estate Roundtable and the Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate (AFIRE), and a Trustee of the Urban Land Institute (ULI). Mr. Katzman was the recipient and winner of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of The Year® 2010 Award in the Real Estate and Construction Services Category in Florida. It awards honor entrepreneurs who have demonstrated exceptionality in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.
Mr. Katzman was named a Reichman University honorary fellow in recognition of his contribution to the real estate industry and higher education and in appreciation of his activities to advance knowledge in the field of real estate. Chaim is also the honorary President of the Larger-Than-Life Foundation. Mr. Katzman received an LL.B. from Tel Aviv University Law School and serves as a Trustee on the Board of Governors at Tel-Aviv University.