Leadership

Simon founded ARD Capital Group in 2019, naming the firm after his late grandfather and role model. Within the first year, Simon closed $250 million in commercial real estate financing. Since then, his experience encompasses land, construction, transitional, and permanent financing, across the U.S. and within every asset class.

Reputable real estate offices with over $400 million in AUM quickly started to lean on Simon’s strong grasp of complex property financials, which he developed during his prior career in public accounting. Simon’s clients have also named resourcefulness, skilled negotiation, and persistence as factors that allowed him and his firm to close complex deals in difficult real estate climates, including a $140 million 4-phase development, a Hilton hotel development, and high-vacancy shopping center deals; all at the height of Covid-19.

Born and raised in Hamburg, Germany, Simon speaks fluent German, Farsi, and French; conversational Hebrew and Spanish, and basic Mandarin. He nurtures an international network of real estate companies and investors from Asia, Africa, and Europe.

Simon is also a C-PACE thought leader; having worked with states and municipalities across the U.S. to advance the program. He integrated numerous small and regional banks into the program and closed a record number of PACE deals in 2019-2021.

Simon began his career as an auditor and forensic accountant for PwC and RSM, where he advised Fortune 500 companies and the U.S. and foreign governments on prominent financial investigations, money-laundering cases, disputes, and mergers.

Simon’s ambition is underpinned by his drive for philanthropy. He founded the Banaa program at Lafayette College to provide full scholarships and NGO internships to promising teens in war-torn Sudan. Today, he is involved with a family foundation that provides housing to Ukrainian orphans of the war. Simon is also a UJA career mentor for CUNY college students.

Simon is an avid soccer and tennis player, snowboarder, kite-surfer, and regularly practices yoga. He holds a BA in International Economics & French from Lafayette College and an MS in Accounting from Boston College, where he was awarded the prestigious Dean’s Scholarship.