Business Forum • 25 May, 2026 at 8:53 AM
At Bucharest Business Forum 2026, the closing panel brought together senior executives from residential, logistics, and asset management to explore how Romania can unlock its next phase of growth. Moderated by Ana Dumitrache, CEO, Olympian Parks, the discussion ranged from unlearning old market reflexes and rethinking “location,” to the disruptive impact of AI and the structural gaps still holding Romania back versus peers like Poland. Despite working in different segments, the speakers converged on a few core themes: long‑term value over short‑term volume, community and quality over simple density, and disciplined governance as the missing ingredient for Romania's full potential.
Alex Skouras, Managing Partner, Alesonor, said the Romanian residential market must move beyond “square meters and price per square meter” toward long term value built around complete communities. He described Alesonor's model as designing “360 degree ecosystems” with schools, sports clubs, services, and public spaces that create a strong sense of belonging for families across market cycles. While he sees AI as a powerful tool that can elevate productivity and decision making, he warned that many managers already take critical decisions on unverified AI outputs and insisted that responsible use requires systematic human checking.
Mirko Smiljanić, Managing Director, Serbia & Romania, Grandum Property Management, argued that real estate is no longer an isolated industry but a component in broader investment products combining property with other assets to protect capital. Grandum's strategy, he explained, is to hold only high‑quality, future‑proof properties in key capitals such as Bucharest, Budapest, Belgrade, Bratislava and Vienna, because such assets remain resilient in both good and bad times. Smiljanić believes AI will profoundly reshape property management, legal work and marketing, but cautioned that many companies are investing heavily in tools while underinvesting in staff education, even though “these two processes need to go hand in hand” for the technology to deliver real value.
Gijs Klomp MRICS, Business Development Manager, WDP, warned that today's constant stream of geopolitical and economic shocks risks making executives “lose the forest for the trees” and sacrifice long‑term strategy in logistics and industrial real estate. Using the Doraly complex near Bucharest as an example, he showed how a former wholesale retail site can be repositioned into a mixed‑use platform combining retail, storage and e‑commerce functions when investors are prepared to look beyond conventional logistics boxes. Klomp expressed concern about opaque “black‑box” AI systems that users cannot fully explain, recalling earlier valuation tools where the model's output was accepted without understanding. Comparing Romania with Poland, he said better governance and policy discipline would smooth economic cycles and allow Romania's real estate sector to fully exploit its potential.
Mauricio Mesa Gomez, Chairman of the Board for Spain and Romania, Cordia Group, said Cordia has followed the same core principles for more than two decades, deliberately refusing to maximize plot buildability in order to preserve green spaces, exterior leisure zones and communal areas. He noted that younger generations such as Gen Z are less focused on homeownership and more open to build‑to‑rent and flexible housing solutions, forcing developers to “unlearn” the assumption that everyone wants to buy. Mesa expects ESG and energy efficiency requirements to remain non‑negotiable, pointing to the widespread adoption of green certifications, solar panels, heat pumps and better insulation as today's norm. Citing projects like Parcului 20 and the new Central Politan in Bucharest, he argued that curated amenities such as interior parks, co‑working spaces and residents‑only rooftop lounges are what truly create community and help projects outperform through market ups and downs.