Alumni success stories: Lisette van Doorn

As CEO of ULI Europe, Lisette van Doorn leads a nonprofit membership organization that brings together members from multiple sectors, all sharing a common interest in real estate and urban development. The ULI is the main global network of leaders in real estate development. The Global Leaders Programme, co-created by the Centers for Real Estate of MIT and Maastricht University, supports  mid-career real estate professionals transitioning from managers to leaders. It emphasizes a multidisciplinary approach across the real estate value chain.

“Education through our events is the strongest benefit,” van Doorn explains. “They are always content-focused, and members say they always learn something new -especially because we work on a multidisciplinary basis.” 

This holistic approach is central to ULI’s mission, which fosters collaboration between public and private sector professionals from various fields such as architecture, urban planning, and investment. “If you’re in an investment business, you don’t talk much with architects or associated representatives. That’s what we aim to change—bringing together different angles. Understanding different perspectives enhances success,” she adds. Bringing together people with these varied perspectives is also key in the Global Real Estate Leaders Program. 

After earning her degree in investment and finance from Maastricht University, van Doorn launched her career in investment management at ING, in a junior controller role that wasn’t directly aligned with her studies. She seized the opportunity, only recognizing later that it offered a broad understanding of the functioning of an investment management business. Driven by a passion for real estate for which the interest had arisen during her studies and an internship, the opportunity came up to join the investment management business of ING Real Estate (ING REIM), although that required some ‘training on the job’: “I didn’t know anything about real estate at first, but I applied my experience in portfolio management to real estate funds, and that’s how I got into it,” van Doorn reflects. 

Having led the research and strategy team at ING REIM for almost five years, she was asked to set up INREV, a newly formed industry association for institutional investors in non-listed real estate funds. Moving from one of the major financial institutions to a non-profit organisation with two employees, which practically started from scratch at the time, implied a huge learning curve.

Her subsequent career path included managing ING’s Italian real estate investment management business during the global financial crisis—a formative experience that shaped her leadership style. “That was my first real crisis, and it wasn’t easy,” she recalls. “But I learned that you don’t have to have everything figured out before you take the next step.” 

In advising others, van Doorn emphasizes the importance of being open to new experiences. “Opportunities will come, and if you’re enthusiastic and open, you’ll be in a better place to grow,” she says. Rather than obsessing over a perfectly planned career trajectory, she encourages professionals to embrace unexpected turns, reminding them that what’s more important is doing something they’re excited about—a philosophy that is reflected in her own career. 

Now, as she leads ULI Europe, van Doorn applies these principles to grow the organisation in Europe and provide value to the members, while supporting the industry to advance and transform communities. The MIT – Maastricht University Global Real Estate Leaders Program is an excellent platform to help accomplish this. “We prioritize leadership in inclusive and resilient urban development globally. To guide this, we focus on three key mission priorities: decarbonization, affordable housing, and educating the next generation of real estate leaders. It’s practical and accessible for all professionals on an individual and corporate level, big and small.” 

Lisette Groninger van Doorn graduated with a degree in Business Economics from the School of Business and Economics in 1996.
_{This article has been written by journalist Tracy Brown-Hamilton}