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LONDON (October 15, 2020) – Former Urban Land Institute (ULI) Europe chairman and partner at Apollo Global Management Roger Orf has been selected as a ULI Life Trustee. Orf was named as a recipient of the honor, reserved for ULI’s most dedicated and respected members, during ULI’s Virtual Fall Meeting.

Life Trustees are individuals whose service to ULI has been meaningful, distinctive, and extraordinary, with individual selected based on their contributions of time and resources to ULI and the ULI Foundation; leadership and participation in committees, task forces, councils, and advisory services; standing and reputation in the land use industry; and years as a ULI full member and trustee.

Orf, who has been a ULI member since 1985, was chair of ULI Europe from 2013-2016. His philanthropic support was instrumental in bringing UrbanPlan, an educational initiative developed by the Urban Land Institute in the US, to Europe where it is now used as an academically demanding classroom-based program in which students learn about the fundamental forces that affect urban regeneration.

“ULI has been a huge part of my life and I’m honored to be recognized in this way,” said Orf. “The Institute is more important than ever before, particularly in these challenging times, as we consider the future of cities. The educational role that ULI can play has been inspirational to me, and hopefully to others, so I will continue to dedicate my time and resources to the future talent of the industry.”

“Roger has made an incredible contribution towards ULI and he played a key role in expanding our UrbanPlan program globally,” said W. Edward Walter, ULI Global Chief Executive Officer. “His passion for sharing knowledge shines through in everything that he does, and he is very generous with his time in helping others. We would like to congratulate Roger on this award, which is a testament to everything that he has achieved and done for ULI.”

“Roger is a quintessential ULI member, giving back selflessly to improve our organization and expand ULI’s reach,” said current ULI Europe Chairman Marnix Galle, executive chairman of Belgian developer, Immobel. “His commitment to improving our communities through the work of our members is a true inspiration, and his recognition as a Life Trustee is well deserved.”

Orf focused on increasing engagement with European city leaders and helping ULI members provide thought leadership to their local real estate communities. He passionately believed in nurturing the next generation of ULI leaders, noting that his son (Ted) became a ULI member in his first year in the real estate industry to gain knowledge and share expertise with his peers.

Besides his chairmanship, Orf has played an active role in providing thought leadership to both the European and global real estate industry. He has been a member of the European Retail and Entertainment Product Council since 2003, which provides insight and gives members the opportunity to share the latest emerging trends of the market with each other. He has also been a member of the ULI Foundation Board of Directors, which guides the philanthropic arm of the Institute, the ULI Board of Directors, and the ULI Europe Executive Committee.

Over the course of ULI’s 85 years, fewer than 20 people have been named Life Trustees: Nicholas Brooke, Chairman of the ULI Asia Pacific region and chairman, Professional Properties Group; Joseph Brown, chief innovation officer, AECOM, San Francisco; James J. Curtis III, managing partner, Bristol Group, San Francisco, California (deceased); James DeFrancia, principal, Lowe Enterprises, Inc., Aspen, Colo.; Wayne Doran, consultant, Dearborn, Mich.; Robert Engstrom, president, Robert Engstrom Companies, Minneapolis; Gerald D. Hines, founder and chairman, Hines, Houston, (deceased); Frederick Kober, chairman, The Christopher Companies, Oakton, Va.; Walter Koelbel, chairman of the board, Koelbel and Company, Denver, (deceased); Robert Larson, chairman, Lazard Alternative Investments, Bloomfield Hills, Mich., (deceased); Sir Stuart Lipton, partner, Lipton Rogers Developments LLP, London; Bowen Buzz McCoy, president, Buzz McCoy Associates, Inc., Los Angeles; Alexander Otto, chief executive officer, ECE Projektmanagement; Henry Paparazzo, chairman and chief executive officer, Heritage Development Group, Inc./Heritage Village, Southbury, Conn.; Wayne Ratkovich, founder and president, The Ratkovich Company, Los Angeles; Stan Ross, chairman of the board and senior fellow, USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, Los Angeles; Melvin Simon, co-chairman of the board, Simon Property Group, Inc., Indianapolis, (deceased); and James W. Todd, president, JWT Inc., McLean, Va.