Runwal Realty Crafting Multi-Asset Empire

At a time when Mumbai’s real estate market is witnessing renewed momentum, leadership at industry bodies becomes crucial. As the newly appointed Chairman of NAREDCO Maharashtra, Sandeep Runwal steps into the role with a clear mandate— streamline processes, reshape perception, and push the industry toward greater professionalism. “While, Maharashtra especially Mumbai offers immense opportunity, but the biggest challenge remains approvals—both in terms of time and cost. Today, developers spend nearly 40–50% of their time navigating approvals, premiums, and clearances. If we can reduce that to even 10–20%, the impact on efficiency and delivery will be massive. The idea is simple—systems should enable development, not delay it. At Naredco, we’re keen to collaborate with authorities to bring in transparency in systems, consistency in approvals and technology-led processes.” Beyond policy, Sandeep Runwal highlights a softer but equally critical issue— the negative image of developers. “The industry needs a perception reset,” he said. “The industry often gets judged by a small fraction of non compliance. The reality is, the majority of developers follow regulations and contribute significantly to city-building— whether it’s infrastructure, public amenities, or urban renewal. We need to rebuild trust and communicate our role better through various channels and platforms.” The biggest lesson? Keep listening. Whether it’s a customer, engineer, or colleague— there’s always something to learn. You may not use everything, but that one insight can make all the difference. Sandeep Runwal.

Building Runwal Realty Identity
Runwal Realty traces its origins to the legacy of Runwal Group. Sandeep Runwal explains, “Runwal Group was established in 1978 by my father Subhash Runwal where I and my brother Subodh Runwal worked together. Somewhere down the line, around 2013 we started handling our independent projects, and in 2016 there was a complete segregation of balance sheet as well as of the projects. I went on to build Runwal Realty and Subodh went on to build Runwal Enterprises. Runwal Realty and Runwal Enterprises are two distinct and independently operated entities, with no overlap in ownership or business operations. While both originate from the broader Runwal legacy, they function with separate leadership, strategies, and portfolios. This distinction underscores Runwal Realty’s focused approach toward building a differentiated, multi asset real estate platform.”

From Legacy to Luxury
What Runwal Realty’s journey from a family-led business to a multi-asset, professionally managed brand reflects is the broader transformation of Indian real estate. “Post our restructuring, we consciously positioned Runwal Realty across residential, retail, commercial, and now hospitality. We’ve also taken a clear call—focus on premium and luxury housing. Our philosophy is about creating generational assets—homes that families don’t just live in, but pass on, stated Sandeep Runwal. Saurabh Runwal added, “The post-pandemic buyer is markedly different—more discerning, more aspirational.

We’re seeing three consistent trends - demand for larger, more flexible homes, preference for community-driven ecosystems and strong focus on wellness and lifestyle amenities. From pickleball courts to curated open spaces, luxury today is about experience, not just specification. Interestingly, this expectation is uniform across micro markets—whether in central Mumbai or the suburbs.”

Diversification with Discipline
Operating across asset classes comes with complexity— but also resilience, emphasizes Sandeep Runwal. “In my experience of over three decades, one lesson stands out— liquidity is critical. You can be asset-rich, but without cash flow, you’re vulnerable. That’s why we’ve scaled gradually, reinvested profits, and avoided over-leverage. Diversification also helps—residential and commercial cycles rarely peak together, which stabilizes the business.” A new addition for the Runwal Realty is hospitality segment. As per Saurabh Runwal, the company’s entry into hospitality is less a diversification and more an evolution. “We’re creating integrated ecosystems—where residences, retail, offices, and hotels coexist. This allows - residents to access hotel-grade services, hotels to benefit from built-in demand and projects to become destination developments. For now, Runwal Realty has three upcoming hotel projects in Worli, Thane and Pune.”

It’s not just about adding projects—it’s about becoming the best in every micro-market. “We want customers to say, “We want a Runwal home,” not just any home.” Saurabh Runwal.

Growth Vision: Scale with Substance
For Sandeep Runwal, the enduring appeal of real estate lies in its unpredictability. “No two days are the same. Policies change, challenges emerge unexpectedly, and you constantly have to adapt. It’s not a linear business—it’s about resilience and agility. Our strategic growth plans for the company include building strength across all real estate verticals and expansion into select national markets.” According to Saurabh Runwal, brand trust will define the next phase of growth for Runwal Realty. “We want to be very strategic in our growth. We’ll pick one city at a time and then build the brand in that city so people recognize us as a market leader in that micro-market. Having a diversified portfolio means, we are uniquely positioned to maximize the value of a land parcel in a given city by either building a mall, luxury residential, hotel, commercial or mixed-use development.” Indeed, the ambition is clear but measured.