Diversity and inclusion are increasingly topical and many institutional investors are now developing policies and strategies to address diversity and inclusion both internally and externally. For this award, the judges would be keen to see evidence of at least one of the following:

• commitment to improving diversity and inclusion within your own organisation
• achievements in improving diversity and inclusion within pensions, asset management and financial services generally
• accomplishments and commitment to diversity and inclusion within corporate governance
• industry level contribution on any level in raising awareness of diversity and inclusion issues

The strongest entries in this category are structured by outlining your general approach to advising your clients, supported by at least three case studies from the past year to 18 months.

You should consider including:

• why the client needed or sought a particular course of investment
• how you analysed their needs and then the market accordingly
• how your advice led to a structured solution
• any success following a course of action based on your advice, including how this was measured and assessed
• the cost-effectiveness of your input
• the overall value you added

For this award, you should present a more holistic view of your real estate portfolios and how you construct them in relation to your overall long-term objective and risk return profile. Many institutional investors will run a variety of strategies and approaches in their real assets portfolios as a means of diversifying and balancing risk.

For this award, you should ideally therefore endeavour to cover:

• your overall real estate risk budget
• how you implement different strategies
• how you develop partnerships
• how the different strategies and investment approaches interact and balance each other out at both portfolio and overall levels
• the way you construct your mandates within certain regulations and restrictions
• how you research and analyse the potential benefits or impact of new sectors and investments
• how you measure the overall success of your real estate portfolios

This gold level award is designed to recognise the commitment and leadership shown by younger professionals in the institutional real estate investment sector. Key drivers for this award are:

• They must be under 40
• They must be working at an institutional investor organisation, such as a pension fund. Roles such as trustees are also eligible
• They must be working on or contribute/have contributed to a recent concept, development, innovation, initiative, strategy etc that would qualify their nomination

As with Europe, Canada and the US offer a wealth of dynamic opportunities in various sectors and individual markets at different stages of the economic cycle. This category seeks to reward and measure how you optimise your North American portfolios in relation to your investments in other regions and how these support your overall long-term value objectives and risk return profile.

Examples of deals are essential and you should also include the following:

• the benefits of investing in North America
• any restrictions either at institutional or regulatory level
• examples of your portfolio, especially recent deals and activity
• the types and sectors you prefer
• the mandates and types of vehicles used to obtain exposure
• the risks posed by investing in North America and how you manage them

Exposure to real estate using a listed strategy typically includes buying shares in property companies and investment vehicles such as REITs that are listed on stock exchanges and are therefore publicly tradable.

As with the direct and indirect strategies, you should first point out why you have developed a listed strategy as part of your real estate portfolio and how this supports your overall long-term objectives and risk return profile. Your entry should provide full details how you construct your mandates and who manages them.

Explicitly, you should also include:

• the reasons for the level of your commitment
• any restrictions either at institutional or regulatory level
• examples of your portfolio, especially recent deals and activity
• the types and sectors you prefer
• the costs of investing and running listed mandates
• the mandates and types of vehicles used to obtain exposure
•  the risks listed investments incur and how you manage them

This award focuses on your strategies to set and measure social impact objectives alongside financial returns, such as through investing in affordable housing and supporting local communities.

VALUE-ADD
A typical definition of a value-add approach is investments in properties that are acquired at a favourable price with the potential to increase value by redevelopment or restoration.

This category highlights how adopting a value-add strategy is appropriate to your long-term objectives and risk return profile. You should show how increasing the value of long-term commercial investments in properties with high vacancy rates that also often require some restoration or redevelopments poses no undue risk. Your entry should provide full details how you construct your mandates and who manages them.

Explicitly, you should consider including:

• the benefits of investing in a value-added strategy
• how you research and invest in potential assets
• who manages your assets both financially and operationally
• any restrictions either at institutional or regulatory level
• examples of your portfolio, especially recent deals and activity
• the types and sectors you prefer
• the costs of investing and running value added mandates
• the mandates and types of vehicles used to obtain exposure
• the risks value-added poses and how you manage them

OPPORTUNISTIC
Other than outlining your more short-term buying and selling skills to benefit from properties that are undervalued, distressed and/or under-managed, you should explain why and how adopting an opportunistic approach complements your long-term objectives and risk return profile. Your entry should provide full details how you construct your mandates and who manages them.

Explicitly, you should also include:

• the reasons for the level of your commitment
• any restrictions either at institutional or regulatory level
• examples of your portfolio, especially recent deals and activity
• the types and sectors you prefer
• the costs of investing and running opportunistic mandates
• the mandates and types of vehicles used to obtain exposure
• the risks opportunistic investments incur and how you manage them