Eurobuild Awards
Book your ticket

Thomas Kurzmann

CATEGORY
The Real Estate Personality of the Year, Poland
Thomas Kurzmann as a CEO is meeting the needs of all groups of interests. He is a seeker of the highest business standards who implements them into everyday organizational culture. As a highest-ranking executive in the GTC company he is responsible not only for business decisions. The GTC’s CEO is a visionary who is able to peek into the future and to take appropriate decisions how to meet the needs of potential tenants on a very specific and difficult commercial office and retail estate market.
Candidate’s name
Thomas Kurzmann
Company’s name
GTC S.A.
Current position
CEO
Work experience in this position
Thomas Kurzmann is a President of the GTC’s management board since 2014. His presidency is a time of GTC’s strategy shift. Following the successful completion of company’s capital increase, GTC is now realizing a growth strategy. Strategy focuses on implementation of development projects, purchase of properties, active management of GTC assets and commercial projects as well as improving the operating result of properties in the portfolio.
Description of business activity (profile, market sectors served, etc.)
The GTC Group is one of the leading commercial real estate companies in Central, Eastern and Southern Europe. Since 1994, the Group has been developing high standard, modern office and retails properties through CEE region. GTC is creating value through active management of growing real estate portfolio. GTC also invests in other countries of Eastern and Southern Europe, with relatively underdeveloped local real estate markets, are characterized by long-term growth potential. Any investment the Group makes goes through stringent scrutiny in terms of the benefits and risks it entails.
Size of the company managed by the candidate (headcount, regions of activity)
The GTC Group is one of the leading commercial real estate companies in Central, Eastern and Southern Europe. Since 1994, the Group has been developing high standard, modern office and retails properties through CEE region.
The y-o-y increase in profits/income generated last year
Total revenue was at the level of €117m in 2015 and €59m in H1 2016. In H1 2016 rental and service revenues increased due to the acquisition of Duna Tower, Pixel, Premium Plaza and Premium Point.
Career path (Previous employers, professional progress, when was the candidate promoted to the current position, etc.)
In 1995-99 Thomas Kurzmann worked for Wayss & Freytag AG as Director of Wayss & Freytag AG Poland and Managing Director of Wayss & Freytag Poland Sp z o.o. In 1999-2003 moved to West GkA Management GmbH to become Director of Project Development. Between 2003 and 2005 he was a Managing Director at IBI Real Estate GmbH. In 2006, he became Head of Deka Real Estate Global Funds at Deka Immobilien GmbH. Between 2007-2009 Thomas Kurzmann served as CEO at BV Development Company in Moscow and in 2009 he joined Europolis AG as the CEO. After the sale of Europolis and its integration into CA Immo AG in 2011, Thomas Kurzmann went back to Volksbank AG.
Biggest business achievements, especially those made last year
The first Polish inward listed company on the main board of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) since August 2016; successful completion of three office projects: FortyOne I and II and University Business Park II, as well as commencement of FortyOne III. In Q4 2015 – Q3 2016 GTC acquired six office buildings: Duna Tower, Pixel, Premium Plaza, Premium Point, Neptun Office Center, and Sterlinga Business Center as well as a land plot in CBD in Budapest and project under construction in Warsaw.
Contributions made to the improvement of the CEE commercial property market
GTC actively manages a portfolio of 36 commercial real estate projects providing approx. 594,000 sq. m of office and retail space to its highly demanding tenants and customers in CEE region. GTC strive to go beyond building standards compliance to make sure that its buildings have a positive impact on the ecosystem. Thus the company’s office buildings employ construction and technical solutions that increase comfort of work without compromising the environment.
Other industry awards and prizes
Euromoney Real Estate Survey (Best Overall Developer in Romania and Serbia & Best Mixed Developer in Poland); Corius, Platinium Business Park V and Galleria Burgas received the prestigious LEED Gold certification in the category Core and Shell Award in the category of Real Estate & Infrastructure in the Business Masters competition organised by Businessman.pl magazine; UBP and Francuska Office Centre were recognised in Building of the Year 2010 competition in the category of public use buildings.