Nihat Kalfazade

Nihat Kalfazade is a real estate and architectural executive with over 20 years of experience leading residential and office developments, driving investment, leasing, and workplace strategy. He is recognized for delivering high-impact projects for multinational clients, optimizing operational efficiency, and bridging design, strategy, and commercial outcomes.

He began his academic journey at the Architecture Department of Istanbul Technical University (ITU), graduating in 2000, and earned a Master’s Degree in Architectural Design from Middle East Technical University (METU) in 2004. Early in his career, he contributed to numerous design and construction projects in Turkey and abroad, including serving as Design Director for the Istanbul Tuzla Piri Reis University Campus and the Dellis Cay Project for Mandarin Oriental in the Caribbean.

At AECOM, Nihat worked as Project Manager, leading office projects for multinational corporations including GE, Pfizer, and SMBC in Istanbul. He then spent over a decade at Rönesans Real Estate Investment leading Office Development, overseeing the full lifecycle of Class A office projects totaling 150,000 m² of gross leasable area (GLA), from development to leasing and sales, serving clients such as Allianz, Turkcell, Bosch, Adidas, and Société Générale.

Between 2021 and 2025, Nihat was Managing Partner at Forin, directing business development and real estate consultancy operations. During this period, he focused on residential brokerage with strong sales and rental closings, and successfully delivered turn-key office fit-outs for multinational clients, managing design and build from concept to completion.

Nihat combines a deep architectural background with strategic real estate expertise, excelling at leading complex projects, optimizing operations, and delivering value-driven solutions for clients across residential and corporate sectors.