As the inaugural Vice Chancellor for Real Estate, Anish established the University’s Office of Real Estate as a financially self-sustaining responsibility center. Under his leadership, the Office develops and implements the University's real estate strategy in order to meet core space needs, support community and economic development objectives, and generate commercial revenue. Anish’s diverse team of real estate professionals is responsible for leasing, acquisition, and disposition of real property assets as well as management of the University’s commercial asset portfolio and partnerships with private developers. A key function of the office is to synthesize the academic, economic, physical, social and civic implications of University real estate decisions and secure Board of Trustees approval for transactions.
Prior to joining Pitt, Anish was the inaugural Managing Director of the University of Pennsylvania’s 23-acre Pennovation Works campus. In this role, Anish oversaw all activities (real estate management, design, development, marketing, leasing, programming, and operations) and strategic direction of the 23-acre Pennovation Works campus. The campus is comprised of a unique blend of lab, office and production space which was developed and is owned by the University adjacent to its academic and medical campus in West Philadelphia. Anish led a matrixed team to implement the University’s mission and strategic plan to sustain and grow an innovation ecosystem in Philadelphia by providing facilities and business formation resources to startup and mid-size life sciences, robotics, IoT, and other technology companies.
Anish is a Registered Architect and Professional Planner who holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture from CEPT University in Ahmedabad, India and Master’s Degree in Architecture with a Certificate in Urban Design from the University of Pennsylvania. He has played leadership roles as a practicing architect in the private sector including award-winning and transformative architectural design, urban revitalization, and development master planning projects in communities throughout the United States and overseas, including China, India, Chile, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Dubai. In this role, Anish’s clients have included academic campuses , transportation systems, government entities, community organizations and private developers.
Building on his professional services and consulting experience, Anish transitioned to institutional real estate management in 2012 as a corporate facilities planner and subsequently as head of the real estate department of Amtrak, where he led an 18-person team and oversaw all real estate activities in support of Amtrak’s operations nationwide. This included planning and portfolio strategy, structuring and negotiating acquisition disposition and lease transactions, administration of property agreements, development and fit-out of facilities, space management, valuation, property and document control, real estate financial operations/budgeting, representation and internal real estate advisory services.
Anish served as an adjunct professor on the Faculty of Drexel University from 1996 to 2006, where he taught courses to students of architecture with an interest in improving urban life — enabling people to live and work together in the most inclusive and environmentally sustainable ways. Anish’s strength as a conceptual designer enables him to translate goals into practical strategies for implementation of ambitious plans. He has presented extensively at professional conferences and maintains an interest in the historical and ongoing transformation of urban communities.