After graduating from the GSB, Brian Patterson relocated to Poland to lead the development of two of the country’s first modern commercial projects after its transition to a free-market economy: the Warsaw Distribution Center and the Diamond Business Park. This established both his interest and experience working overseas, where he would go on to build everything from office buildings to residential developments to retail spaces across much of Central and Eastern Europe.
That early experience laid the foundation for White Star Real Estate, which Brian founded in 1997. The company has since grown to establish offices in Warsaw, Prague, Budapest, and Bucharest, building a diverse development portfolio of 50 properties and 2.5 million m² in nine European countries while also managing properties. Under Brian’s leadership, the company takes a holistic approach to each project while always maintaining the highest standards. “We believe in quality through the entire value creation process,” he says. In recognition of his achievements in real estate, Brian was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2013 Central & Eastern European Real Estate Quality Awards.
Brian’s impact extends far beyond real estate through his dedication to youth and educational causes. With backing from U.S. government agencies, he created a foundation in Warsaw to support what is now Friends of Children’s Hospitals in Warsaw. In 2014, he founded Katalyst Education, a nonprofit incubator whose mission is to create open-source digital education tools and resources to level the playing field for students. The organization has produced seven OpenStax textbooks for the Polish university system. When the war in Ukraine began, Brian started a chapter there to supply refugees with access to books and problem sets. He plans to expand the program to other continents, including Africa. Brian has also served as president of the Stanford Club of Poland, which hosted Stanford International Alumni Weekend 2024 in Warsaw, and he’s earned the Stanford Alumni Award of Merit twice. “Brian has been a trailblazer and leader in the business and not-for-profit arenas,” says classmate Peter Glusker, MBA ’89.
