In this episode of Leading Voices in Real Estate, host Matt Slepin sits down with Sonny Kalsi, CEO of BGO, a global real estate investment manager with over $90 billion in assets under management. Continuing the show’s multi-episode theme of thinking broadly, both globally and long term, this conversation explores how commercial real estate has evolved and what the next decade might look like in an increasingly unpredictable world.
Following recent and upcoming conversations with Tim Bodner of PwC and Roy March of Eastdil Secured, Sonny offers a distinct perspective shaped by experience across market cycles and geographies. He shares the remarkable story of leaving Morgan Stanley in the depths of the Global Financial Crisis, founding GreenOak in 2010, and through growth and strategic M&A, helping build what is now BGO, a leading global real estate platform.
Beyond markets and investment trends, Matt and Sonny dive into a core Leading Voices theme, the value of the business platform itself. Sonny speaks candidly about people, culture, and the less tangible elements that drive long term enterprise value, factors that matter just as much as AUM in building a durable and resilient organization.
This wide ranging conversation covers global capital flows, long term investment thinking, leadership through uncertainty, and the cultural foundations behind building a world class real estate firm. As always, it is a thoughtful and forward looking discussion for anyone seeking to better understand where the real estate business has been and where it may be headed. Another great Leading Voices conversation.
