Ian Shapiro is Chief Executive Officer of Reall, an organization working to solve the global housing crisis by developing affordable, climate-smart homes for low-income communities across Africa and Asia. Since taking the role in early 2018, he has pushed Reall toward a more visible, disruptive market presence, aiming to prove that quality housing built for roughly $10,000 per unit can be both commercially sustainable and environmentally sound.
Shapiro brings 25 years of experience bridging private-sector effectiveness with public benefit, including a 16-year career at the UK's Department for International Development, where he ultimately led private sector development work, followed by a role as Chief Strategy Officer at Crown Agents. That background has shaped his emphasis on evidence-led innovation and building teams that can adapt through disruption, including maintaining momentum through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Under his leadership, Reall has already improved conditions for more than 3.5 million people and is working toward a goal of reaching 100 million urban residents by 2030. Shapiro frames affordable housing as infrastructure that simultaneously tackles poverty, creates jobs, improves health outcomes, and helps address climate change.
