Colm Lauder

Colm Lauder (YFG-Ireland) represents the youth wing of Ireland's ruling Christian Democratic Party, Fine Gael. Colm is from Clontarf, Dublin and attended school at Belvedere College SJ. He is a graduate of the University of Cambridge and Dublin Institute of Technology, where he was conferred with an MPhil in Real Estate Finance and a BSc (Hons) in Property Economics, respectively. His primary research included the development of an Irish Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) using distressed property assets and the development of efficient mass appraisal models for property tax collection. Secondary research has included detailed evaluation of the impacts of Rent Review reform in Ireland and future financing options for the Irish commercial property industry. Colm has regularly written in The Irish Times, Irish Independent, The Sunday Business Post and The Examiner on matters of politics, economics and finance and has commented widely on governmental policy approach to the Irish Property Market. He has provided expertise on property issues to a number of institutions and has served as an external expert to the National Democratic Institute. He sits on the EPP Working Group II, Economic & Social Affairs and authored the EPP-adopted Basel III critique and policy document presented by YEPP in December 2011. He served International Secretary of Young Fine Gael from 2009 until his election to the YEPP Board in April 2011. Since joining the party at 16 in 2004, he has held local and regional executive positions in both YFG and Fine Gael and has been active at all levels of the organisation. Colm now works as a property economist and research analyst with a world leading property firm in London.