For more information, contact:
Trisha Riggs at 202-624-7086
Robert Krueger at 202-624-7051

WASHINGTON (October 26, 2012) — Mehrdad Laghaeian, an innovator in the field of information technology, has been named chief technology officer for the Urban Land Institute (ULI), the institute announced this week.

Laghaeian, who joined ULI’s staff on October 15, is the first person to serve in this role for ULI. He will provide a global technology vision and leadership in the development and implementation of ULI-wide information technology. Laghaeian will lead ULI in the planning and implementation of enterprise information systems that support both distributed and centralized business operations. His position will require close work with the institute’s strategic communications and content teams in order to advance ULI’s business objectives and enhance its membership experience.

“We are delighted to announce Mehrdad as the newest member of our global leadership team,” said ULI Chief Executive Officer Patrick L. Phillips. “This new position is of critical importance in ensuring that ULI maintains a high level of efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of our programs, products and services to our members around the globe.”

Prior to his arrival at ULI, Laghaeian served as President of Esantio, Inc., a Leesburg, Va.-based software company he founded in 2008. During his time at Esantio, he designed a platform for the development and deployment of enhanced software applications, designed the technical architecture for a complete cloud-hosted environment offering superior reliability and security, and developed a new navigation method for web-based applications. Before founding Esantio, Laghaeian was chief technology officer and chief information officer for the Lafarge Group, a $28 billion publicly traded global construction materials company with offices in Paris and Herndon, Va.

“ULI is already at the forefront of thought leadership in responsible land use, which will prove more essential over the coming years. I fully share the values of the institute and am excited to be assuming this new leadership role that will both contribute to the expansion of ULI’s global reach and facilitate communication between its membership and the wider industry,” Laghaeian said. “There is a lot of exciting technological development taking place in the area ULI is moving towards. I am lucky to be joining such a forward-thinking and entrepreneurial organization that is eager to apply what is already happening in these technologies with the global real estate community.”

Laghaeian holds a master’s degree in business administration from Boston University and is a graduate of the University of Houston, where he studied electrical engineering.

The ULI information technology department functions to provide the institute and its global membership with database and product support, operating systems, data communications, network infrastructure, web infrastructure and architecture as well as web technical support. As the preeminent, multidisciplinary real estate forum, ULI leverages its information technology unit to help facilitate the open exchange of ideas, information and experience among local, national and international industry leaders and policy makers dedicated to creating better places.

About the Urban Land Institute
The Urban Land Institute (uli.org) is a nonprofit education and research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. Established in 1936, the Institute has nearly 30,000 members representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines.