An govt acknowledged for remaining the initially chief environmental strategist at application huge Microsoft is having on a related purpose at commercial real estate brokerage CBRE as businesses throughout the world perform to make their functions extra sustainable.
The world’s major business genuine estate companies agency named Robert Bernard, an govt with far more than 20 decades of environmental sustainability practical experience, as its new main sustainability officer and senior vice president of client sustainability. In this new position, Bernard will drive tactics to bolster sustainability providers the Dallas-primarily based actual estate expert services agency is in a position to offer to clientele.
He will also support Dallas-based CBRE realize its have carbon-reduction and sustainability plans, the company explained.
CBRE tapped Bernard for the placement as true estate providers and clients have amplified their environmental, social and governance, or ESG, commitments. These commitments, these as pledging to decrease carbon footprints, typically demand funds investments that can be harder to make in a shaky financial system.
Very last tumble, CBRE started chopping $400 million in costs, with a sizeable part by way of layoffs, as it grappled with economic headwinds. Very last week the firm reported its fourth-quarter earnings and reported its capital marketplaces business enterprise declined 46% in the fourth quarter from the exact time in 2021 as personal debt and equity money remained constrained.
In September 2021 CBRE itself pledged to access internet zero carbon emissions by 2040, a phase taken as a way for the company to support do its part to handle troubles posed by a warming world.
“As the world’s biggest commercial assets manager, we have an outsized possibility to affect sustainability across the developed natural environment,” CBRE President and CEO Bob Sulentic stated in a assertion. “Rob’s history, complex experience and leadership expertise uniquely position him to lead our efforts and we are excited that he has chosen to be part of CBRE to advance our interior and consumer-focused sustainability initiatives.”
Bernard expended extra than 15 years at Microsoft, exactly where he expended far more than a 10 years as main environmental strategist and main sustainability officer, in accordance to his LinkedIn profile.
Most just lately, Bernard served as taking care of director of non-public fairness organization Commonwealth Equity Partners. He has also advised and consulted with National Geographic, Allbirds and Watsco.
With the built atmosphere generating about 40% of the world’s carbon emissions, Bernard claimed he appears to be forward to performing with his new colleagues, buyers and business associates to decarbonize structures around the entire world.
Bernard gained an undergraduate diploma in English from Columbia University. He also has an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.
CBRE did not promptly answer to an job interview request from CoStar News about how this role will match into its more substantial group.
