Real estate advisor CBRE has appointed Kaela Fenn-Smith as managing director, Sustainability Services & ESG for its UK & Ireland business effective immediately.
Fenn-Smith joined CBRE in November 2020 as head of UK Advisory & Transaction Investor Services and will continue to oversee CBRE’s strategy on A&T Investor services, of which Sustainability will form a critical part.
In her new role, she will be responsible for implementing the firm’s growth strategy of Sustainability services and providing sustainability advice across the business.
Her appointment follows a series of hires which have continued to strengthen CBRE’s Sustainability & ESG capabilities, including Sophia Gibson who joined earlier this year as Social Value Lead, alongside Sam Carson who has both joined CBRE’s UK Valuation business with a focus on valuing sustainability.
In September, as part of its net-zero strategy, CBRE Group, globally signed on to The Climate Pledge, a group of companies and organizations led by Amazon and Global Optimism that have committed to achieving net-zero carbon ten years ahead of the Paris Agreement deadline. Earlier this year, CBRE published its first Environmental, Social and Governance report for United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland Advisory, which details CBRE UK’s commitment to net zero by 2030.
Ciaran Bird, divisional president, Advisory Services, UK & Ireland, CBRE said: ‘We recognise the unprecedented social and environmental challenges facing our industry today and we are committed to build back better through our people, clients and industry partnerships. In this new role, Kaela will help us drive impactful and meaningful change on behalf of clients and the wider built environment and ensure sustainability is integral to everything we do from how we operate as a business, to serving our clients in helping them meet their own targets.’
