Industry leader, Neil Gopal takes reins at BOMA International

The appointment of Neil Gopal to chair the International Region Council (IRC) of the US-based Building Owners’ and Managers’ Association (BOMA) is a significant step in bolstering South Africa's commercial property industry on a global platform.

Gopal is the current CEO of South African Property Owners’ Association (SAPOA) and will lead BOMA’s International Region Council in 2014-15.

BOMA is a federation of almost 100 building owner and manager associations throughout the U.S. plus 13 international affiliates.

Gopal was elected to the position last month during a global gathering of BOMA members at its Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida. He served as Vice-Chair of the BOMA IRC in 2013-14.

With its headquarters in Washington DC, BOMA’s mission is to advance a vibrant commercial real estate industry through advocacy, influence, and knowledge.

This mission aligns closely with SAPOA’s own strategic goals, as Gopal points out.

“The role provides an exceptional opportunity to learn from colleagues around the globe, in addition to sharing our knowledge and experience from SA,” says Gopal.

The IRC is specifically tasked with facilitating more robust engagement between the international affiliates to share not only global best practice, but also information and knowledge resources.

But given the scope of the Council’s mandate, Gopal and his council colleagues will have their work cut out for them. BOMA’s international affiliates include associations as far afield as Australia and New Zealand, Brazil and Mexico, and Finland and China.

“We will be working together on issues such as property management and operations, development, leasing, operating costs, energy consumption and legislation,” he adds.

BOMA President and Chief Operating Officer, Henry Chamberlain, says: “We highly value our long standing relationship with the South African Property Owners Association and are very pleased that Neil has agreed to lead our international activities.

“Neil has been an effective leader within the international region for years and has been one of the architects of an exciting new strategic plan to expand our global collaborations around standards, best practices, research and more and collectively advance our industry.”