Evan Leslie

Evan is a property and finance specialist with 25 years of experience in real estate development, complex transaction management, private equity capital raising, investor relations, and corporate strategy.  Evan was most recently the Global Head of Product Strategy & Investor Relations for BlackRock’s Real Estate business where he was responsible for capital raising across Europe, North America, and Asia Pacific ‘value-add’ funds, including leading teams across New York, London, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, Zurich, Atlanta, Budapest, and Sydney.

During his time at Lendlease, Evan worked closely with the NSW Aboriginal Land Council and various Local Aboriginal Land Councils on a Public Private Partnership (PPP) bid to deliver social and affordable housing to First Nations communities, funded by the New South Wales government.

Evan studied Construction Management at UTS and completed the Executive Development Program at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Chicago.

“I have had the privilege of visiting and working with Local Aboriginal Land Councils in both rural and regional areas of New South Wales and hearing from many Elders about their universal ambition to provide a better future for future generations.  This experience taught me that progress towards equality for First Nations peoples can be frustratingly complex and slow, must be based on self-determination, and must be delivered through local programs focusing on meaningful generational change.  So, when you are lucky enough to see the positive impact which Aurora’s programs can have on both an individual’s life and their broader community, it’s incredibly inspiring, and something which I am very honoured to contribute my energies towards.”