Episode 373: Ali Houshmand of EQT - The Emergence of the Chief Question Officer
The Fiftyfaces PodcastShow Notes
Ali Houshmand, leads the non-traded REIT initiatives for EQT real estate, where he manages the formation, strategy, and portfolio construction of EQRT - EQT’s first open-ended real estate vehicle in the non-traded REIT space. He previously spent close to a decade at the Texas Permanent School Fund, where he helped build that $50 billion endowment's real estate program.
We discuss his career journey and his considerable amount of time spent "in the trenches" of property development and negotiation. We discuss his LP-centric approach while at the Texas Permanent School Fund and how he leaned into championing LP viewpoints in which he offered considerable constructive feedback to manager relationships. He highlights the importance of asking thoughtful questions and building relationships, which AI may not replace. At Texas Permanent, he helped grow the real estate allocation from 6% to 11%, focusing on industrial and operator-led strategies. At EQT, he launched EQRT, emphasizing the need for a clean balance sheet and unique operational capabilities. He also stressed the importance of AI in enhancing investment processes while maintaining human judgment and relationship
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