Hibernia Reit founder Bill Nowlan has been awarded a PhD by the University of Ulster. Nowlan's research looked at funding models for social and affordable housing in Ireland, and why there has been such a low level of institutional capital attracted into this area of the market.
His research showed that countries like Germany and the Netherlands enjoy widespread support from private capital for social and affordable housing projects, attracted by secure long-term yields. In 2017 Nowlan founded Urbeo Residential, a fund for attracting international investment into this market segment in Ireland.
Nowlan is widely credited with a successful campaign to encourage the Irish Government to introduce legislation that has facilitated the introduction of real estate investment trusts (REITs) in Ireland.
