Abhinav (Abe) Somani
Global CEO
LEVERTON Corporation
What’s your educational background?
I grew up in a town called Edison in central New Jersey where I attended high school. I graduated from New York University’s Stern School of Business with a triple major in finance, international business, and management. I also completed an international studies program at the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom.
Tell us about your career path. Where were you prior to joining LEVERTON?
I began my career on Wall Street working for the Rothschild investment bank in New York and London for many years working on M&A and Equity transactions. I then worked at a private equity firm called ICV Partners / American Securities for several years working on middle-market buyouts of companies. Later, I started several of my own businesses including a commercial real estate fund in the Southeast of the United States. I made the switch over to tech a few years ago and helped bring European technologies to the US, and just over 2 years ago I joined LEVERTON.
Please share some details about your current position. What are some of the interesting things you’re working on?
Being the CEO of a global company with offices in London, Berlin, New York, Dallas, and New Delhi is really exciting – these markets have so much to offer in terms of talent and excitement! Because of the global nature of our Company, I get to see and work with the best customers who are facing challenges in their domestic and international markets – Asia, Africa, Europe, South America and of course right here in the US are hot beds for exciting technologies and even more exciting projects and solutions. The world is big, but big data is making it smaller – data is becoming so integral to almost everything we do. I love working with our employees in all of our offices – each office has its own unique culture, its own unique offices. In New York we’re in downtown Soho, in Berlin we’re in Potsdamer Platz, and In London right in King’s Cross – it’s a very exciting place to be working and living!
Is there a single project or accomplishment that was particularly rewarding?
Last year, winning the CoreNet Global Innovator’s Award was one of our highest achievements as a Company. It is a true testament that the market is appreciating new technologies, artificial intelligence, and the importance of good, structured big data. We’re proud to be a part of the global CoreNet Global community.
How long have you been a member of CoreNet Global? Tell us about your involvement and how you engage with the association.
I’ve been a member for about 3 years now – I joined when I joined LEVERTON – it seemed like a great community of thought leaders, real estate professionals, and young leaders who are innovating and trying to collaborate to meet the ever-growing demands in the corporate real estate community. I love attending events, conferences, and meetups that they host very often throughout almost every major metropolis in the country and even abroad!
What aspects of your involvement with CoreNet Global are most valuable? Please comment on the value that Young Leaders get from membership in the association.
The network is the most important thing – you meet the smartest and the best in this community and people are so friendly and eager to help and work with you. I have met some really inspiring entrepreneurs and leaders who are innovating in their respective practices. I think the best part is – it’s very real – CoreNet Global is not some esoteric think tank – it is a real community that we have certainly benefitted from in both our business and my personal development.
How do you see your future career? Will it be in corporate real estate?
I think for now the future for us is about helping our customers to aggregate their corporate real estate data and turn it into meaningful insights by providing an analytics layer. We can help our customers to negotiate better terms in their leases, assess risk in their portfolios, and make better decisions for their employees and the real estate they reside in.
To help our readers get to know you on a more personal level, tell us a little about yourself (e.g., family, hobbies, favorite places to visit, etc.).
I am an avid musician and go by the moniker “B-Nasty” and have released several songs on iTunes, Spotify, and Soundcloud. I love making music and it is a real stress release for me. Beyond that, I live in midtown Manhattan and I am total Manhattanite – love going out with friends, trying new restaurants, and travelling the world. NYC is my home and I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else! I also really am a nerd – love reading comic books and following the Marvel / DC universe – you could find me many times on a Friday night pulling up a to a great Batman novella!