On a summer evening, members of the real estate industry gathered in New York City's Upper East Side, at the renowned Banker's Club in the 120 Broadway building. The Commercial Observer hosted its annual Power Young Professionals Gala there to honour the 2026 award winners. This year, 75 outstanding young professionals were recognised, individuals who have already made a name for themselves in the real estate industry as brokers, finance experts, developers, and architects.
The award winners celebrated their achievements to date with Commercial Observer executives and editors, and looked ahead to future developments. Max Gross, Editor-in-Chief of the Commercial Observer, welcomed those present and recalled the beginnings of the Young Professionals edition, which has evolved into one of the publisher's most popular publications. He described the initial effort when, in his first week as an editor, he had to compile a '30 under 30' edition.
History and Growth of the Programme
Gross recounted the anecdote of how the then managing director, Robyn Reiss, asked him to create a special edition about 30 brokers under 30 years old in just two weeks. This required intensive work, including interviews and photoshoots, with a significantly smaller team than today. He added that the situation at the time was like a 'baptism of fire'. Despite the challenges, the edition was published on schedule. Today, the list of Young Professionals comprises 75 names and covers a broader spectrum, including finance, construction, architecture, and engineering.
Among the Young Professionals present was Thomas Swartz, Senior Vice President for Brokerage at JLL. Swartz is a member of one of the company's most active leasing teams and was involved in the redesign of Piedmont Realty Trust's 1.1 million square foot office tower in Lower Manhattan, 60 Broad Street. His team manages approximately 60 million square feet in total, of which he is personally responsible for 15 million square feet.
- —Alice Allan, Senior Associate at CannonDesign, who has worked on projects in the UK and India and is now shifting her focus to the USA. Her projects include a new Health Sciences Centre at St. John's University in New York City and a new fitness and wellness area at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York.
- —Thomas Farrell, Executive Director for Debt at J.P. Morgan Asset Management. Farrell previously worked at Barclays, where he facilitated a significant balance sheet loan of 1.24 billion dollars to finance Blackstone's acquisition of the private real estate company Space Center.
Importance of Relationships in the Industry
The event was co-sponsored by construction firms J.T. Magen and Vanguard Construction, while Silverstein Properties, owner of 120 Broadway, served as host. Joseph Artusa, Senior Vice President for Leasing at Silverstein, emphasised in his speech the importance of such evenings for building relationships in the industry. He acknowledged the hard work of the Commercial Observer and highlighted the future significance of the assembled Young Professionals.
Artusa stated that he saw leadership figures among those present who would shape the future of the industry. He stressed that real estate has always been a relationship-driven business, which makes such events particularly meaningful. He encouraged those present to raise a toast to themselves and, on behalf of Silverstein Properties and the Commercial Observer, expressed his pleasure and honour in celebrating the Young Professionals of 2026.
