As we continue the 5th season of the ACREL files, we welcome David Arena, the Head of Global Corporate Real Estate at JP Morgan Chase. David is a distinguished leader renowned for his expertise in real estate and strategic business acumen. With three decades of experience, David has successfully managed and invested in large-scale real estate portfolios, orchestrating over $100 billion in commercial and capital investments across 10,000 property transactions, encompassing more than 250 million square feet of assets. At JP Morgan Chase, David is responsible for managing the firm’s global real estate portfolio with over 7,400 properties worldwide, comprising over 80 million square feet of space.

Most recently, David led the development team for 270 Park Avenue, JP Morgan’s new 2.5 million sq. feet headquarters in NYC. Don’t miss David’s insightful narrative of the development of this unique project that will house 10,000 employees in an all-electric tower with net-zero operational emissions – setting new standards in building sustainability, health and wellness.

Prior to joining JP Morgan Chase, David held leadership positions at Grubb & Ellis and Tishman Speyer Properties. His leadership extends to community and industry roles, having served as President of the Board of the Police Athletic League, a former Governor of the Real Estate Board of New York, and currently as Co-Executive Sponsor of JP Morgan’s Women on the Move. David graduated from Fordham University.

Welcome to the 5th season of the ACREL Files. We are pleased to open with Cia Buckley Marakovits, the Chief Investment Officer and President of Dune Real Estate Partners. With a breadth of experience in finance, fund management and real estate investing through multiple market cycles over a more than 36-year career, Cia is an accomplished professional in institutional real estate investing. She is responsible for the management and performance of Dune’s investment activity and operating business and drives the development and implementation of the firm’s strategy. Before joining Dune, Cia was the President of the U.S. Fund Business for JER Partners, an affiliate of the J.E. Robert Companies. She started her career in in the real estate finance group at Bankers Trust. Cia is a full member and former trustee of the Urban Land Institute, serves on the Board of Directors of the Pension Real Estate Association, and currently serves as a Director for Kilroy Realty. She is also a trustee of Phillips Exeter Academy and a member of the board of directors of SparkYouth NYC. Cia received an M.B.A. from Columbia University Business School and a B.A. from Lafayette College.

Season 4 of the ACREL Files continues with John Santora, CEO of WeWork. With more than 45 million square feet in over 600 locations around the world, WeWork is the leading provider of co-working spaces and flexible work solutions. John became CEO of WeWork in 2024, stepping into the role just as the company entered its next chapter of cost-conscious growth and operational discipline, and is guiding the company toward long-term stability and profitability.

Before joining WeWork, John spent 47 years at Cushman & Wakefield, where he started as a building engineer and rose to become the Global Chief Operating Officer, helping steer the firm through strategic expansions around the world and key transactions. Along the way, he built a reputation for a pragmatic approach to leadership that transcends market cycles.

Join Jay Epstien as John describes the real estate cycles that defined the industry during his amazing career along with the future of the co-working industry and the importance of flexible space to companies of all shapes and sizes.