John Banka

Biography: John Banka is a commercial real estate professional with over 25 years of advisory and transactional experience in the Polish and central European markets—initially with Golub, and later joining Ernst & Young’s real estate consulting team and then Colliers International where he established the firm’s investment practice in Poland and became an equity partner. Prior to joining ARC, John established and managed an independent advisory practice providing project development, financing, investment advisory and leasing strategies for clients throughout central and eastern Europe. Earlier in his career, John worked as an economic development official—first, with the City of Chicago and subsequently, the New York City Public Development Corporation, with responsibility for coordinating significant commercial and industrial investments in both cities, including projects of the Chicago Board Options Exchange, Amgen and Columbia University. John earned a B.A. with honors in Urban Studies at Furman University, a master’s degree in Urban Planning & Policy at the University of Illinois-Chicago and an MBA from Northwestern University. He has also completed a Harvard University Graduate School of Design course in urban retail strategy. John led the efforts to establish Urban Land Institute Poland and served as its first chairman.