Born and raised in Nigeria, Chris Igwe is one of the world’s leading authorities on global retail and highly sought after for his passionate views, deep knowledge, and great insights. His life has been spent living and working in 6 countries (Nigeria, England, Switzerland, Scotland, France, and The Netherlands) while travelling extensively on business and with his family. He has helped businesses growth and thrive, or repositioned them as needed.
Based in Paris, he is special advisor to global brands, owners, and investors on strategic matters. He runs his own consultancy firm, Chris Igwe International. He is also Managing Partner at More Or Less, which represents exclusively tenants for their portfolio and lease-related problems. He is Managing Director at Karine Augis, a French luxury leather handbag and accessories brand. He is also Chairman, The ForeverGreen Group and Head of Business Affairs, REIT Innovations.
Chris is a past Co-Chair of the ULI (Urban Land Institute) Europe Retail and Entertainment Council and a member of the European leadership of ULI as a Global Governing Trustee.
After 10 year’s successful career as a Civil Engineer, involved in iconic award-winning projects (Stansted Airport, London and Secret Service building, London), Chris joined Foot Locker Europe as Head of Real Estate, later joining Gap to head up European Real Estate. He then become Managing Director Europe for ICSC, and later, Senior Director EMEA and Head of Retail, France at CBRE.
Retail clients have included 7 For All Mankind, Aesop, Costco, Disney, Farrow & Ball, Fossil, Hard Rock Café, Michael Kors, Nike, Sunglass Hut, Swarovski, TUMI, Vapiano.
Landlord clients have included AEW, Apsys, Deutsche Bank, Eurodisney, FREO, Grosvenor, Inter Ikea, Sonae Sierra, Value Retail, Unibail Rodamco.
Chris is a renown international keynote speaker, and a long-standing Master of Ceremonies (2011 – 2022) for MAPIC. He has also lectured for various schools, in Europe, in Cairo, and for Abu Dhabi Paris Sorbonne University. He is a Chartered Civil Engineer, holds a BSc in Civil Engineering and an MSc in Geotechnical Engineering.
Chris was recognised by his peers as a recipient of the “2014 ICSC Award for Outstanding Service to the Research Community”. He was also recognized by RETAIL Rethink as a Top Retail Influencer.
Chris is co-author of: “Secrets of Working Across Five Continents: Thriving Through the Power of Cultural Diversity” where he focuses on sharing insights into Visionary & Authentic Leadership.
Chris is multi-lingual and enjoys being an Executive Coach and Mentor.