MHD PROPERTY FOCUS
COLLIERS’ INTEGRATED SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY Two of Colliers’ top experts – one in sustainability, the other in industrial real estate – discuss the company’s integrated sustainability strategy, as well as the challenges, opportunities, and solutions for sustainability in industrial property.
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ccording to Lisa Hinde, Head of Sustainability at Colliers for Real Estate Management Services Australia, Colliers has embarked on a course of reconfiguring its overall Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) practices to put it ahead of the curve in responding to emerging challenges in the sustainability space – broadly construed – and to amplify its already wellestablished reputation for integrity as well as excellence in real estate generally and industrial real estate specifically. “This year Colliers followed up the publication of its Global Impact Report with the appointment of a dedicated Global ESG lead, and the formalisation of an Asia Pacific ESG Committee, led by our APAC Chief Financial Officer,” Lisa says. “In terms of Colliers’ executive level buy in, it’s a tremendous commitment made by the organisation. To enrol not just the CFO, but also the APAC Chief Operating Officer, Regional Director | People and Performance, and General Counsel & 46 | MHD OCTOBER 2021
Company Secretary in that committee – it really demonstrates our commitment to lead from the top and have our key decision makers focusing strategically on these issues.” The purpose of the committee, she says, is to gather information from Colliers’ various departments across countries in the APAC region, filter such insights and data back into the company’s overall strategy – for application in its internal operations – and better serve clients on ESG issues. “There are endless opportunities in applying sustainability principles within our business,” Lisa says. “Whether it’s energy efficiency, investor reporting, or green rating schemes – our role is to monitor these trends and ensure we are seamlessly integrating these initiatives as a market leader. From a social perspective, we are focused on how to more effectively build health and well-being into the picture for everyone who works for or with Colliers. On the scale we’re looking
to embed these principles, it can be challenging to determine which activity to prioritise – you can do the best in terms of environmental metrics, but there’s a risk the people element can get left behind in that process. As for governance, obviously one of the standout concerns is how best to manage data and ensure data security, so that we’re serving our clients responsibly.” Lisa says that the formation of the APAC ESG Committee, and the renewal of Colliers’ overall sustainability strategy – an “integrated strategy” – is part of an exciting series of new developments emerging from Colliers.
ESG REPORTING & METRICS Daniel Shafferman, National Director, Industrial Real Estate Management Services at Colliers, says that the move to greater focus on ESG is a natural evolution for Colliers. “As Colliers has continuously grown over the years, its core property management role has expanded to
