Despina Katsikakis, the workplace consultant behind the first iteration of the Google office design, has been appointed by Cushman & Wakefield as global head of occupier business performance.
Katsikakis has more than 30 years’ experience advising corporate occupiers – including Microsoft, Unilever and BP – on the impact of workspace on business performance and is currently advising the team delivering Sir Stuart Lipton’s 22 Bishopsgate development, set to be Europe’s first major WELL-certified new-build project.
She has joined Cushman & Wakefield in a full-time role to help the firm’s occupier clients – as well as the building owners and landlords seeking to attract them – understand how real estate can be repositioned to drive performance and productivity.
Speaking exclusively to EG, Katsikakis said: “The expectation is that I link the real estate world to the corporate occupier world and bring them into a closer, iterative relationship.
“The war for talent is shifting the priorities for corporate occupiers from short-term cost reduction to long-term business value, primarily around attraction, retention and engagement. That’s why I think this role is very opportune.”
She added that chief executives should increasingly be viewing successful workplaces as business resources: “Traditionally, real estate has been rewarded for delivering cost savings to the business. So people who have made the decisions about taking on space have focused on short-term cost. That is changing as everyone is fighting for talent.”
John Forrester, chief executive EMEA, Cushman & Wakefield, said: “The impact of the workplace on business performance is now a critical consideration for both occupiers and landlords. Despina’s appointment cements Cushman & Wakefield’s status as the world’s leading adviser in this increasingly important field. She will work with our clients to understand their evolving needs and to help formulate their future strategy.
“Both the challenge and the opportunity are global, and so it is right that we have a world-leading expert spearheading our investment in this space. Business performance underpins Cushman & Wakefield’s strategic real estate offer, and Despina’s unique insight and global expertise will be of huge benefit to clients across the firm.”
Before joining Cushman & Wakefield, Katsikakis was chair of international consultancy DEGW and senior vice-president in Global Corporate Solutions at AECOM. More recently she has worked as interim global head of workplace for Barclays and as an independent adviser to a range of international corporate clients and real estate investors. She serves on the advisory board of Delos, the pioneer of Wellness Real Estate and creators of the WELL Building Standard, and writes, lectures and teaches internationally.
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