gunnar branson

Author | speaker | strategic leader

Gunnar Branson is the CEO of the Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate (AFIRE), an essential forum that provides high value thought leadership for real estate leaders from around the world. AFIRE’s members includes nearly 170 leading global institutional investors, investment managers, and supporting partners from 24 countries representing approximately US$4 trillion in real estate assets under management (AUM) in the US.

He has worked across commercial real estate, professional services, education, and association leadership. Prior to joining AFIRE in 2018, he served as CEO of the National Association of Real Estate Investment Managers (NAREIM), and before that, led strategy, innovation, and marketing for Fortune 500 and mid-market companies. 

He serves on the board of directors for Affordable Homes & Communities (AHC), a developer, owner, and operator of affordable housing in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC.  He also serves as an advisory board member for NYU Stern’s Chao-Hon Chen Institute for Global Real Estate Finance.

Gunnar is a regular speaker, writer, panelist, and spokesperson He appeared on a TEDx stage, on television news such as CIBC and Bloomberg, and regularly interviews real estate thought leaders on The AFIRE Podcast. He has authored six stage and radio plays and recently wrote Chasing Lights, based on a podcast of the same name, released by Manuscripts Publishing in early 2026.