The Cycles Are the Opportunity: Ian Livingstone on Crises, Capital, and Long-Game Real Estate
Mon Jan 05 2026
What do you do when the real estate market collapses?
If you’re Ian Livingstone, you buy.
In this episode of Distinguished, Dean Arun Upneja speaks with Ian Livingstone, the co-founder of London & Regional Properties, one of the UK’s largest private real estate groups, about what it really takes to build a £12 billion global empire, through booms, crashes, and everything in between.
Livingstone shares how he went from running 170 optician stores to reshaping urban skylines; why crisis moments create once-in-a-generation opportunities; and how he’s built cities like Panama Pacifico, where 20,000+ homes, schools, and commercial districts grew from a single idea and decades of patience.
A candid, behind-the-curtain conversation on timing, conviction, distressed assets, hospitality real estate, and why the future of leisure and experience-driven travel still holds unmatched potential, even in the age of AI.
Email us at shadean@bu.edu
The “Distinguished” podcast is produced by Boston University School of Hospitality Administration.
Host: Arun Upneja, Dean
Producer: Mara Littman, Executive Director of Strategic Operations and Corporate Relations
Marketing: Rachel Hamlin, Senior Marketing Manager
Research: Lu Lan
Music: “Airport Lounge" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
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What do you do when the real estate market collapses? If you’re Ian Livingstone, you buy. In this episode of Distinguished, Dean Arun Upneja speaks with Ian Livingstone, the co-founder of London & Regional Properties, one of the UK’s largest private real estate groups, about what it really takes to build a £12 billion global empire, through booms, crashes, and everything in between. Livingstone shares how he went from running 170 optician stores to reshaping urban skylines; why crisis moments create once-in-a-generation opportunities; and how he’s built cities like Panama Pacifico, where 20,000+ homes, schools, and commercial districts grew from a single idea and decades of patience. A candid, behind-the-curtain conversation on timing, conviction, distressed assets, hospitality real estate, and why the future of leisure and experience-driven travel still holds unmatched potential, even in the age of AI. Email us at shadean@bu.edu The “Distinguished” podcast is produced by Boston University School of Hospitality Administration. Host: Arun Upneja, Dean Producer: Mara Littman, Executive Director of Strategic Operations and Corporate Relations Marketing: Rachel Hamlin, Senior Marketing Manager Research: Lu Lan Music: “Airport Lounge" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0