Alejandro Mazariegos Rojas is a Senior Vice President of Real Estate Investment Banking Acquisitions, Improsa REITs (Equity floats in the Central America Capital Markets). He received his Global Real Estate Master (GREM) Degree in 2011 from the Wisconsin School of Business and is based in Costa Rica.
What are your job responsibilities?
I’m in charge of negotiating asset acquisitions/divestments for the REITs, conducting financial valuation under local regulatory standards, and negotiating with local and foreign banks acquisition financing.
What do you enjoy most about what you do?
My passion about real estate has always been there. My family was involved at a lower scale in the real estate business ever since I can remember. There is nothing I enjoy more than successfully closing a hard-fought acquisition.
What are the greatest benefits you’ve received from graduating from the Graaskamp Center/Wisconsin Real Estate Program?
I come from a small country. To put into perspective, Costa Rica is smaller than Lake Michigan. As economists say, specialization is deeper in larger countries. So one of my biggest benefits of attending UW was acquiring more sophisticated knowledge vs. local standards. Second, but not less, I have broadened my business network outside Latin America.
How has your background with the Graaskamp Center augmented your work internationally?
Without a doubt, my international network has broadened, yet due to our REITs investment profile we are currently investing locally. We will move beyond our borders in the medium term.
Looking back, what are some of your best memories of your undergraduate/MBA/GREM Experience at the Wisconsin Real Estate Program? How has your experience impacted your life today?
Meeting people from very different backgrounds and different ways to see things yet sharing the same passion about real estate. As I mentioned before, attending UW helped strengthen and deepen my technical skills.
What does the world need from real estate professionals today?
Today’s real estate professionals must be able to see outside the spreadsheet and keep track and understand changes in demographics and disruptive technologies that bring challenges to the way real estate was seen not so long ago. Also, I feel real estate professionals from larger countries must be willing to assess and explore deals outside their country borders.
Is there any advice you would give to a recent grad who is just starting out?
Take into account that the real estate game is changing and that the world is getting smaller. Make sure to understand the dynamics, look beyond the spreadsheet and work to broaden your global network.
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