Leadership
The Built Value Institute is led by an international team of practitioners, researchers, and strategists dedicated to advancing social value in real estate.
Together, they combine academic rigour, industry experience, and a shared belief that the built environment should generate measurable benefit for people, communities, and the planet.
Sophie
Teresa
Alba
Melina
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Sophie Schuller is a real-estate strategist, neuroscientist, and academic whose work explores how buildings influence human health, inclusion, and social equity. As founder of Common Space Collective and a PhD researcher at Eindhoven University of Technology, she integrates insights from neuroscience, urbanism, and finance to drive responsible investment and evidence-based design. Sophie leads the Institute’s research agenda and global partnerships, ensuring that social value becomes a measurable driver of long-term real-estate performance. -
Alba Méndez is an expert in social-impact assessment and inclusive urban policy, with over fifteen years’ experience in research and consultancy across Europe and Latin America. Her work bridges public policy, spatial justice, and ESG frameworks to help cities and investors align development decisions with social outcomes. At the Built Value Institute, Alba oversees academic collaboration and knowledge-exchange initiatives, ensuring that research findings translate into practical tools for the industry.
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Teresa Ribeiro brings extensive experience in international higher-education management and stakeholder engagement. She coordinates the Institute’s events, partnerships, and communications, facilitating collaboration between universities, industry partners, and policymakers. Teresa’s background in postgraduate real-estate administration ensures operational excellence and an inclusive, transparent working culture across the Institute’s programmes.
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Melina Gorrebeeck is a specialist in responsible investment and ESG strategy, with a focus on bridging the gap between capital markets and social impact. She has advised institutional investors, developers, and public agencies on embedding social-value metrics into governance and portfolio management. At the Built Value Institute, Melina leads outreach and partnership development, connecting global investors, civic organisations, and academia around a shared vision of ethical and regenerative growth.
Our Team
The Built Value Institute’s team brings together dedicated and collaborative leaders from across the world who are committed to advancing social value in real estate.
They combine strategic vision, academic insight, and practical experience to shape a built environment that creates shared prosperity for people, communities, and the planet.
Our Priorities
The leadership team is united by a commitment to:
Advance global standards for measuring and reporting social value in real estate.
Strengthen partnerships between academia, investors, and civic institutions to scale impact.
Integrate evidence-based design and neuroscience into valuation and investment frameworks.
Promote equity, health, and inclusion as central measures of built-environment success.
Champion the next generation of socially responsible real-estate leaders through education and collaboration.