2026 Program
Friday, April 10
5:00PM - 7:00PM GSD Alumni Happy Hour
By Registration Only, RSVP here for more information
6:00PM - 9:00PM Pre-Symposium Speaker Dinner and Reception
By Invitation Only
Saturday, April 11
8:00AM - 9:00AM Registration and Breakfast
Location: David Rubenstein Treehouse
9:00AM - 9:10AM Symposium Launch
Location: David Rubenstein Treehouse
9:10AM - 10:00AM Keynote Address
Jonah Sonnenborn
Location: David Rubenstein Treehouse, Canopy Hall
Jonah Sonnenborn is the Senior Managing Director and Head of Real Estate at Access Industries, the privately held global investment firm founded by Sir Leonard Blavatnik (HBS Alum) that manages over $40 billion in assets across media, entertainment, technology, and real estate.
Jonah joined Access in 2013 and is primarily responsible for the firm’s diversified portfolio of opportunistic real estate investments worldwide , having previously served as a Managing Director at Dune Real Estate Partners and before that in the investment banking divisions of Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs. His strategy centers on acquiring irreplaceable, one-of-a-kind assets where Access can add value others can’t — a philosophy reflected in a portfolio that spans the Aman Residences in New York, the Faena hotels, the Grand Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat on the French Riviera, the Ford Factory in Los Angeles, and the Ocean Club in the Bahamas , alongside the recently opened Faena New York at One High Line in West Chelsea and the upcoming Aman Miami Beach, a joint development with Vlad Doronin’s OKO Group currently under construction in the Faena District.
10:10AM - 11:00AM Panel: Financing & Capital Markets
Location: David Rubenstein Treehouse, Canopy Hall
11:20AM - 12:10PM Breakout Panel Session 1
Placemaking
Location: David Rubenstein Treehouse, Canopy Hall A
Law & Public Policy
Location: David Rubenstein Treehouse, Canopy Hall B
Senior Housing
Location: David Rubenstein Treehouse, Riverbend
12:20PM - 1:30PM Lunch
General Lunch
Location: David Rubenstein Treehouse, Canopy Hall
1:30PM - 2:30PM Forums
Details Coming Soon!
The Capital Corner
Funding the Future: Financing Sustainable Infrastructure in Emerging Markets
Tangible Progress - Communicating the Value of
Sustainability
Big Tech & AI
New Technologies in Construction
2:45PM - 3:30PM Coffee and Break
Location: David Rubenstein Treehouse, Canopy Hall
2:50PM - 3:40PM Breakout Panel Session 2
Data Centers
Location: David Rubenstein Treehouse, Canopy A
Emerging Markets
Location: David Rubenstein Treehouse, Canopy B
Affordable Housing
At the Breaking Point: Capital, Policy, and the New Economics of Attainability
Location: David Rubenstein Treehouse, Riverbend
Hospitality
Location: David Rubenstein Treehouse, Cedar Grove
4:50PM - 5:10PM Harvard Education & Closing Remarks
Location: David Rubenstein Treehouse, Canopy Hall
5:15PM - 6:30PM Closing Reception & Cocktail
Location: David Rubenstein Treehouse, Canopy Hall & Atrium