CBRE has hired Robert Bernard as chief sustainability officer.
Bernard, who has more than two decades of environmental sustainability experience, will also become senior vice president for client sustainability solutions.
He will be charged with driving strategies across the global company to strengthen its sustainability services, as well as strategies that enable CBRE to achieve its own carbon-reduction and sustainability goals. In September 2021, CBRE pledged to reach net zero emissions by 2040.
Bob Sulentic, president and CEO at CBRE, said: “As the world’s largest commercial property manager, we have an outsized opportunity to influence sustainability across the built environment. Rob’s background, technical expertise and leadership skills uniquely position him to lead our efforts and we are excited that he has chosen to join CBRE to advance our internal and client-focused sustainability initiatives.”
Bernard was previously Microsoft’s first chief environmental strategist, establishing a global strategic framework to transform company-wide approaches to carbon, climate, energy, water and waste.
More recently, he founded and served as managing director of Commonwealth Equity Partners, a private equity firm focused on investments in companies that participate in the circular economy.
He has also been an advisor and consultant to National Geographic, Allbirds and Watsco.
Bernard said: “The built environment generates about 40% of the world’s carbon emissions. CBRE is deeply committed to doing our part to combat climate change and I look forward to working closely with my colleagues, our customers and business partners to decarbonize buildings around the world.”
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