By: Iris Taylor
The Brussels skyline tells a story of steel and glass, but Sheelam Chadha writes her narratives in the spaces between buildings: the unclaimed territories where capital hesitates and opportunities remain untapped. At 43, this Canadian single mother of two has navigated market collapses and corporate boardrooms with equal resolve.
Now, as Europe’s real estate sector grapples with inflation rates hovering near 5.4 percent and commercial property values down 19 percent since mid-2022, Chadha’s new venture emerges not just as a business but as a vision.
“It’s frustrating that, as women, we’re still navigating situations that haven’t really changed. I don’t like to generalize, but many female-founded ventures often stem from deeply personal experiences, which can sometimes be complex,” she stated. This perspective now fuels her latest focus: building financial pathways in markets, especially focusing on development projects, and structuring opportunities where others see risk.
When Diapers Meet Deal Books
Chadha’s journey began at 26, trading London’s financial pulse for Brussels’ Belgium. At only 28, she took on the role of head of transactions for Belux at IVG, a role which spanned over 10 years until the takeover by Patrizia, closing almost €2 billion in transactions.
The numbers tell part of the story: European commercial real estate investment fell to €148 billion in 2023, its lowest since 2012. Chadha experienced the rest firsthand: navigating deal renegotiations in a high-inflation market while managing the realities of motherhood and personal upheaval.
“I kept two planners: one for market cycles, one for everything else. The real skill was preventing them from interfering with each other,” she shares. Her resignation from a Belgian listed developer in early 2025 wasn’t a retreat, but rather a recalibration, swapping corporate infrastructure for the frenetic energy of a startup run from her kitchen table.
The Unlikely Power of Shared Blueprints
What sets Chadha apart is not just her 20-year track record across institutional transactions, but her commitment to working with, not against, valued partners. In contrast to the industry’s often siloed, competitive mindset, she is cultivating what peers describe as a growing “European collaborative network,” an ecosystem that connects developers, investors, and even direct competitors to unlock smarter, more sustainable dealmaking.
Her playbook mirrors Brussels’ architectural ethos: medieval streets coexisting with EU glass towers. Chadha explains, “The markets are not recovering quickly, and when the markets lose, we all do. Those who still want to get deals done need to collaborate. I have a strong belief that 2025 could be the year things begin to turn around.”
Redrawing the Map of Power
At KU Leuven, she co-founded a pioneering course on real estate private equity that’s helping reshape the pipeline of talent entering the sector with a focus on private finance within the market.
“It’s still disappointing how few women there are in this industry, especially in front-office transactional and finance roles in real estate,” Chadha says. “Perhaps because it takes a certain kind of effort to break through. But that’s exactly why we need to change the dynamic by creating space, raising visibility, and encouraging more women to step into these roles.”
But for Chadha, the true measure of momentum lies in the conversations sparked, whether it’s early-career professionals seeking mentorship, students exploring paths into investment roles, or peers engaging in cross-border collaboration.
“Some see a startup,” Chadha says, seated in her Brussels office overlooking the North area. “But what we’re really building is a framework, something pragmatic and repeatable, designed to unlock capital where others see constraints to get things moving again.”
As European real estate navigates its most complex reset since 2008, Chadha is not aiming to rewrite the rules for effect; she’s looking to advance approaches to blockages where viable solutions are currently limited.
