Archived News

OCCUPIER INSIGHTS & WRAP UP EVENT

CoreNet Global UK Chapter hosted its first Wrap Up and Occupier Insights event on 13 November at the impressive auditorium in Aviva’s London headquarters. The event, which will be one of the Chapters key annual events going forward, was created to share key findings from the two Occupier Insights sessions and to give a whistle-stop tour of the years’ highlights.

After a brief introduction from James Pack, CoreNet Global UK Chapters Board Member responsible for events, Kirk Vallis was welcomed to the stage. Kirk challenged attendees to think about the last year and how much creativity they used to solve problems.

The communities’ team, led by Vernon Blunt, gave an overview of the 2019 events including the annual summer boat tour, architectural tours and building tours. 

Sam Pickering, CoreNet Global UK Chapter President, then took to the stage to give an overview of the two occupier insights events held earlier in the year. 

Steven Lang from Savills was the penultimate speaker and shared the latest ‘What workers want’ research findings with attendees. 

Kirk Vallis wrapped up the event with a challenge to work on solving problems more creatively in 2020 and ended by sharing two big principles to bear in mind when it comes to creativity:

  • You don’t have to be serious to solve serious problems
  • Get uncomfortably excited!

Click here to read the full report.


Xmas Party 2019

Occupier Insight: Demystifying smart technologies

CoreNet Global UK Chapter hosted its second Occupier Insight series, titled ‘Demystifying smart technologies’ on the 26th September which was kindly hosted by Macquarie at their London offi ce and sponsored by IWG.

Our panel of experts, moderated by Steve Norris of Incendium included:

  • Michelle Marwood - Senior Vice President, Head of Corporate Services Operations, EMEA & India, Blackstone.
  • Mark Bell - Senior Regional Site Operations, EMEA, Adobe.
  • Julie Lapsley - Customer Lead: New Buildings Milton Keynes and Bottle, Santander.
  • Kim Van Rooyen Global Head of IT Turner & Townsend.

Planned Events

Occupier Insight Series

Occupier_Insights__Schroders.jpgWe hosted our first Occupier Insights event on the 22nd of May. Attended by 35 Occupiers, the focus was on delivering CSR objectives set by those not necessarily responsible for delivering them from a CRE perspective.

A more in depth summary from the event will be shared at a wrap up event later in the year but we wanted to share two key points that came out of the session. Occupiers are under enormous pressure to delivery CSR strategies but generally speaking:

  1. The vast majority of landlords of multi-let offices are unable to adequately support occupiers in reaching their CSR objectives. This is both in terms of providing appropriate space and providing the necessary building performance data.
  2. Flexible office space providers do not understand the importance of sharing sustainability data for their portfolios with their clients and how their operations impact Occupiers sustainability programmes and their Corporate Responsibility objectives.

CoreNet Global UK will be setting up committee including occupiers to see how we can address these issues and effect change within the industry.

The next Occupier Insights event will be taking place on the 26th September 2019 so save the date!

CoreNet Global’s UK Chapter announces news Executive Committee appointments

December 2018, London - CoreNet Global’s UK Chapter has appointed joint owner and managing partner of HennessyGodden, John Godden, as Treasurer and James Pack, managing director and founder of Sentinel RPI, as the Executive Committee Events Chair for 2019.

Taking over as Treasurer from Joseph Hallam, John brings a wealth of experience and financial acumen to the position. Prior to founding HennessyGodden, John was employed as head of London cost management services within Capita, with responsibility for a £5m turnover business unit and consultancy team. At CoreNet, he has over the last four years, led the teams that delivered the highly successful Summer Party. As an active member of the Operations Committee for the past three years, James Pack has led the Sustainability Community and organised a number of excellent community events for the UK Chapter, including the recent and extremely popular, Behavior Eats Process for Breakfast seminar with Google’s Head of Creativite Development. Succeeding Christina, as she moves into the Vice President role next year, James brings experience, passion and enthusiasm that will enable the UK Chapter to drive forward its Events Programme, which is already set to see some big changes in 2019. James Crisp, President of CoreNet Global’s UK Chapter, comments: “The latest appointments to our Executive Committee align with our strong and consistent strategy to have a diverse range of disciplines within our UK Chapter committees, offering members the opportunity to benefit from a variety of talented industry leaders. I am delighted that John will take over as treasurer and James as events chair in 2019. I have no doubt that we will see great things from both in their respective roles over the coming months.

CoreNet Global's UK Chapter announces Vice President

Christina-Sigliano.jpg18 September 2018, London - CoreNet Global’s UK Chapter has appointed Director of EMEA Corporate Solutions at JLL, Christina Sigliano, as 2019 Vice President of its chapter.

Succeeding Sam Pickering, as he becomes chapter President, Christina will use her comprehensive knowledge of the corporate real estate sector and her proven commitment to the Chapter to support Sam in implementing the UK Chapter’s long-term strategy, and ensure members continue to be engaged and invested in the future of CoreNet and the CRE industry.

Having been an active CoreNet member for 15 years, both in the UK and Australia, Christina will continue to support the member-focussed strategy which is centred on learning, collaboration and networking opportunities. Her role as Vice President will see her take the President role in 2020.

James Crisp, President of CoreNet Global’s UK Chapter, comments: “Having implemented a strong succession plan in recent years, our Chapter is better structured and more consistent than ever before. I am delighted that Christina, who has been part of the Chapter Operations Committee and latterly the Executive Board, will take over as Vice President of the UK Chapter next year and go on to be President in 2020.

Our Executive Committee and Operating Committee teams consist of a range of disciplines from across the sector, including end users with three currently on the Executive board, consultants and service providers. Having such diverse committees puts us in a position where we have been able to create and implement a consistent strategy suited to all CRE professionals, leaving the UK Chapter in a strong position for the future.”

CoreNet Global UK Chapter Young Leaders - Be Aware

QPCR - CoreNet’s newest professional designation, the Qualified Professional of Corporate Real Estate. It is designed for those with less than 5 years of corporate real experience and is delivered digitally through virtual classroom seminars and eLearning courses. The introductory price includes a free Global Summit registration. Those in the program thus far are giving it rave reviews. Learn more here.

Mentor Match - To further bolster our Young Leader value proposition, we also launched the Mentor Match platform last fall and have paired more than 400 mentors and mentees virtually for 60-day sessions. The next mentoring session will begin September 1st. To improve the offering, we are producing a series of 12 five-minute videos that provide tips and training for mentors and mentees. Learn more here.

Webinar: Introduction to CoreNet Global Mentoring Programme

Please find the recording of this excellent webinar here:
Streaming recording link
Download recording link

This webinar will introduce the CoreNet Global mentoring scheme and will outline:

  • The purpose/benefits of Mentor Match
  • Creating a profileNavigating the website
  • Maximising the mentoring experience

CoreNet Global strives to deliver value to its members at each stage of their career. Mentoring is one way to assist members to connect in a meaningful way. By participating, Mentors and Mentees can connect with other like-minded professionals.

Decision Making in Uncertain Times

A fantastic line-up of speakers from a range of backgrounds came together at WeWork Aldwych in May, bringing first-hand experience and examples of decision-making in uncertain times.
Read more ...

Uncertainty and risk at One Big Day 2018

Last month more than 200 delegates from across the corporate real estate sector came together at One Big Day. We had a fantastic range of speakers and lively sessions all exploring the theme of ‘uncertainty.’

The chapter used the day as an opportunity to deliver a by invitation End-User Occupier session with thanks to our sponsors CBRE. Led by Kirsten Edwards-Warren, a professional economist and leadership coach the session provided a unique perspective on how to change leadership styles and manage uncertainty.
Read more ...

Five things I learned at CoreNet One Big Day 2018

A couple of hours at CoreNet One Big Day (OBD) is enough to get you the views of dozens of different corporate real estate leaders — and that’s just at the coffee points. If you want to test the temperature — of everything from business environment to portfolio strategy — this is the place to do it. I managed to do my own private polling in and out of the conference rooms, and this is some of what I picked up.

Read more ...

CoreNet’s UK Chapter wins Chapter of the Year at Global Awards

 
Award-presentation2.jpgThe UK Chapter of CoreNet Global has been awarded ‘Large/Mega Chapter of the Year’ at the Global Awards and Recognition dinner, held last week at the Global Summit in Seattle. 

Awards-BJ2.jpgThe UK Chapter has been recognised for its membership recruitment, growth and retention strategies, delivery of value proposition and diversity of local programmes, innovative programming, it’s focus on Young Leader development and CRE professionals as well as its alignment with CoreNet Global’s Strategic Plan, during the financial year of 2017.

This is a first for the Chapter that has spent the last year working hard to retain and grow its membership through sharing news and adding value with a range of educational and social events.

President, Ben Johnson, who was there to collect the award said, “It’s an exciting time to be part of CoreNet’s UK Chapter. In the last year alone, we have had 69 new members join against the long-term average of 44, and the Young Leaders is the fastest growing group with 31 new members - more than double to prior years. We’re a growing chapter and want to continue to provide our members with the highest quality events and learning.

Award2selfie.jpg
“We’ve implemented several new initiatives, including a quarterly newsletter to keep members informed, reinvigorated our website, and have a social media strategy in place to promote the best parts of being a member of our chapter. To win this award is testament to the hard work the team at operating and executive level put in.”

Over the last year the Chapter has also implemented an innovative events programme that provides members and non-members a range of informative events with balanced topics, taking into consideration economic, social and political events shaping the industry.

Flexibility and the new work order 

From the business centre of the 1980's to the co-working space of the 21st century, the flexible office sector has grown exponentially.

London is leading the way internationally with nearly 1,000 flexible working locations across the city.  This is a rise of more than 10% since 2010.... to read more of the article by James Maddock, President of the CoreNet Global UK Chapter and international director at DTZ click here.

New President Elect Announced

The new President Elect of the UK Chapter has been announced.  Philip Cohen from AIG will take over as President in January 2016.















Inaugural Annual Lecture 11 Feb 2015

For the very first of a planned series of annual Lectures, we were lucky enough to secure Steve Norris as our speaker.  Both a UK politician and an experienced businessman, Steve is best known for his long involvement in transport more...


Impact of Energy Act Revealed

The impact of the government’s 2011 Energy Act has been revealed by CoreNet Global’s UK Chapter and SEGRO.The two bodies presented a research document this morning on the impact of the act, which will become effective on 1 April 2018. After this date, it will become unlawful to let buildings with an EPC rating of F or G. From April 2016, it will be unlawful for landlords to turn down requests from occupiers to improve the energy efficiency of their buildings. Findings were gathered following discussions with organisations who in total occupy more than 4.4m sq ft of space.

The key findings were:

  • While the corporate sustainability agenda is a key concern, awareness of the act and aspects of the Green Deal itself are not current priorities for the occupiers surveyed.
  • Most corporate organisations regard 2018 as being a long way off, in corporate planning terms.
  • However, the act could have a significant impact on values, particularly for older stock.
  • Most organisations do not have a wider plan for dealing with the act. Generally speaking, buildings are being dealt with on a building-by-building basis as and when lease events occur.
  • One of the key areas of preparation is gaining a full picture of the energy performance of occupied space, which means having EPCs prepared.
  • There are areas of ambiguity over who ultimately pays for improvements to comply with the Act.
  • One of the most problematic areas of the act appears to be in multi-let buildings where the interests of different occupiers might not all align; where some services (such as air handling) are shared from central plant. It is likely that such issues will be resolved through test cases rather than great clarity within the act.

A list of recommendations were also provided:

  • The most basic step is to gain a full picture of EPC ratings across an occupied estate. Without this base data it will be impossible to assess the extent of exposure and corporate risk.
  • Once this base data collection is complete, it will be possible to ‘map’ building ratings onto lease and ownership situations to understand where pinch points will occur. This exercise should include a consideration of impacts on valuation and disposability of properties.
  • It will then be possible to assess a cost-benefit appraisal of options, both in terms of upgrading buildings and retention/disposal strategy.
  • Where F-rated and G-rated buildings are identified, three broad options present themselves. First, if the buildings are to be retained and there is no leasing activity anticipated, then in theory no action need be taken. It would however, be prudent to understand the potential corporate risk.
  • Secondly, if buildings are to be retained but leasing activity is anticipated (for example, sub-leasing or assignment) then an improvement programme should be developed.
  • This will involve a capital expenditure programme and will identify ‘soft’ opportunities for works (such as lease breaks or planned preventative maintenance programmes).
  • Thirdly, if the buildings are to be disposed of, then a strategy for disposal before 2018 needs to be prepared. This will recognise the pricing impact of the energy rating.
  • Given possible future direction of Government policy, it might also be prudent to assess risk exposure to E-rated buildings. While there is no such suggestion yet, should legislation tighten a new round of improvements will be required, and there could be benefits in dealing with these in the short-term.
  • Where improvement programmes are decided upon, then the Green Deal should be investigated in order to understand whether it might form part of an improvement programme.

Kate Dean, director of offices in the Thames Valley for SEGRO, said: “The results of this research indicate that the legislation itself and the far reaching implications for the real estate industry are not well known. This presents an opportunity for landlords and occupiers to work together to seek clarity on some of the more ambiguous aspects of the Act and work in partnership to deliver a clear set of industry guidelines.”

Steve Probert, president of CoreNet Global UK Chapter, said: “Corporate occupiers are well advanced in their sustainability agendas but the act and its implications are less well known. Even though the 2018 deadline seems a long way off, there are a number of steps businesses can and should be taking before then to ensure compliance – this research is designed to raise awareness and help companies start taking the first steps needed.”

Awards Breakfast 2012

John Pienaar, the BBC’s Senior Political Correspondent, presented the UK Chapter Awards at the inaugural Breakfast held at the Institute of Directors on Tuesday 27 November 2012.

Find out who won the Awards here.






Round Table Discussion - 19 November 2012

At the roundtable organised by Instant, the flexible office specialists, and supported by CoreNet Global UK, the emphasis of the debate was very much driven by the mantra of organisations working "anywhere, in any way".

It brought together corporate occupiers, property company Derwent Valley, and consultants CBRE and Cushman & Wakefield.

There was a strange irony that the roundtable was held on the 17th floor of newly developed Heron Tower in the City of London, looking down on millions of square feet of offices that make up one of the globe’s leading financial centres.

Click here to read the full report.

Awards 2012 - Nominations

Nominations and entries for the 2012 CoreNet Global UK Chapter Awards are currently open.

These prestigious Awards represent tremendous achievement, leadership and innovation that will raise your profile within the industry. If you feel that you or your fellow colleagues have achieved something exceptional or that their work has really stood out within the industry, then make sure you nominate or enter.

We actively encourage participation across the full range of professions involved in both the demand and supply sides of corporate real estate and nominations can be made by UK-based in-house teams, service providers, landlords and other building or property professionals.

Nominations and entries are open in the following categories and there will also be a special Award presented on the morning for Significant Contribution to Real Estate:

  • Corporate Real Estate Executive
  • Corporate Real Estate Partnership
  • Innovation and Sustainability
  • Young Persons' Essay

The deadline for receiving Award nominations and entries is 14 September, and these must all be submitted online in presentation format. Click here for more information on entry criteria and details.

Awards Christmas Breakfast - Tuesday, 27 November 2012

See who has won - join us at the Institute of Directors on Pall Mall in London for the celebration, support your fellow colleagues and nominees, and enjoy a champagne breakfast to toast their successes.

Workplace Group visits National Audit Office

On Thursday 5th July, the Workplace Group meeting was held at the National Audit Office premises on Buckingham Palace Road in Victoria, London SW1. The National Audit office, a Grade II Listed 1930s building, was refurbished three years ago to high environmentally sustainable standards, achieving a BREEAM Excellent rating.

Robert McLean of PwC who chairs the Workplace Group, said: “The National Audit Office’s building is a great example of how a space can transform working practices and improve teamwork, with every member of staff working in an open plan environment. It also shows how workplaces need to evolve in line with market forces and economic impacts. "We want to make sure we fully understand the current needs and challenges of occupiers. Visiting premises, both newly refurbished and operational for some time, as part of our activities are excellent opportunities for us to do this,” he added.

Working Group is currently preparing for its session on global workplaces at the CoreNet Global UK Summit in September and a breakfast seminar in October, focused on inspirational workplaces.

Offer to CoreNet Global UK Members

Corporate Occupiers 2012 includes in-depth interviews with 30 major companies from the BBC to Google to Unilever. The 124-page report gives a definitive insight into the strategy of the major companies that will drive a recovery in the office market across the UK. Corporate Occupiers 2012 also offers a directory of contacts for 60 of the most senior key players in the sector including CEOs, partners and directors. For more details, click here.

Visit www.propertyweek.com/coporatecorenet to claim your £100 discount off the title as a CoreNet Global UK member.

Knowledge and Learning Groups

"The CoreNet UK Chapter knowledge and learning management team has rationalised the current knowledge group structure to align with the four Corenet Global Community Groups. To find out more and join the groups, click on the links below."  

Stuart Bowman
Divisional Director
hurleypalmerflatt & CoreNet Global UK Chapter Board Member

Online Conference A Showcase For CoreNet Global UK Chapter

What’s the most sustainable way to put on a conference? Hold it entirely online.

CoreNet Global UK Chapter president Ian Smith was among the line-up of key speakers at Sustainability Now, a two day online conference designed to drive forward innovation across the built environment.

Run by Building magazine, Building Design and Property Week, the packed conference agenda included thought-provoking speakers, influential players and best practice case studies.

Sustainability Now was first launched in 2008 and now takes place twice a year. The free-to-attend online conference and exhibition has consistently attracted over 3000 registrants and consists of two days of webinars, debates and comment on sustainability within the built environment.

Ian took part in a session around measuring and benchmarking building energy efficiency. He was joined in this session by CoreNet Global UK Chapter 2011 award winner Ruth Standring from Standard Chartered Bank, who chaired the webinar.

The event will be available on-demand for the next six months. Simply login to the event and navigate to the webinars or debates that most interest you.