Estates Gazette Property Podcasts

Jess Harrold is joined by editor Sam McClary and news editor Pui-Guan Man for the latest weekly round-up.

McClary digs into the results of EG's fourth annual  LGBTQ+ Attitudes and Actions in Real Estate survey, which, after a backwards step last year, shows some positive signs in 2022 - albeit still with much work yet to be done. Fingers crossed the whole industry can learn from the 27 companies named by survey respondents as exemplars of inclusivity.

Man offers an update on the ever-troubled landscape for retail and leisure, and shares the industry's reaction to plans that could force landlords to rent out vacant shops.

But is it time to stop using the word "landlord" altogether? This and other questions await in the quiz of the week.

In this week’s episode of Bricks & Mortar, Sarah Jackman catches up with Colliers’ Paddy Allen to discuss his work for Pathways to Property, which he chairs.

The not-for-profit initiative run by Henley Business School at the University of Reading and supported by stakeholders in the real estate industry to increase diversity, social mobility and inclusion within the sector, celebrates its 10th anniversary this year and has recently launched the programme for its 2022 summer school, which returns in person after going virtual during the pandemic.

Allen reflects on how the initiative has evolved over the last decade, the breadth of support and opportunity that it offers to participants, and the generational change that he ultimately hopes will flow from it.

In a bumper episode of EG's weekly round-up, Jess Harrold is joined by editor Sam McClary, head of special content Emily Wright and senior writer Piers Wehner for a veritable basket full of treats.

Wehner discusses the international trial of the four-day week, and how willing - or reluctant - real estate might be to embracing this employment revolution.

Wright rounds up the highlights of EG's latest talent special, including the growing impact of youth boards on the industry, and the pioneering climate-risk work being done by Lukky Ahmed's Climate X platform.

McClary shares her excitement at the launch of not only the latest Future Leaders program, but the 2022 EG Awards.

All that, plus this year's student essay competition and a quick tour through the headlines in the latest quiz of the week.

Michael Beckerman's efforts to inspire the real estate sector to tackle climate change are not always met with positive feedback.

The chief executive and founder of CREtech, which runs real estate tech conferences across the globe, says that the move towards real estate addressing ESG is clearer to see in Europe. But in the US there is further to go. "I get a tremendous amount of hate mail," he adds. It's venomous. There are the climate deniers - and these are often people from within the real estate sector. Then there are the people who ask 'why should I be paying for this?' It is really, really hard."

That is why, he says, CREtech is set on travelling outside of the States to cities like London and Copenhagen to discuss these issues and bring together the key players required to make significant in-roads in addressing some of the industry's thorniest ESG-related problems.  

The hope is that the resulting intel will help to move the US market forward at a more rapid pace. Because, he adds, the time is now.

"Real estate doesn’t move organically. It moves when external factors force change. Change, right now, is being forced."

To hear more from Beckerman tune into the podcast or join him at CREtech London on 27th-28th April https://www.cretech.com/events or CREtech Climate in Copenhagen https://cretechclimate.com/.

The real estate industry continues to strengthen its commitment to investing in ESG-positive assets, offsetting carbon emissions and plans towards achieving net-zero targets. However, this initiative is not just about eco-friendly buildings, but the impact on the community including aspects of diversity. There are opportunities to make a social impact, that will contribute to building “smart cities”. This session will explore how ESG can be used to drive value, increase investment opportunities and how real estate can become sustainable champions. 

Redefining real estate as a product rather than as asset could be the trick to tackling complex and overwhelming ESG targets, says the founder of one of Europe’s most active sustainable urbanism funds.

Speaking on an episode of Tech Talk Radio, Mikkel Bulow-Lehnsby, co-founder of Copenhagen-based fund 2150 said that property companies have been lulled into "short-term shareholder timeframes" and that 2150 has been set up to help the industry reframe the urban environment. "We should try not to see real estate as an asset, but as a product," he said on this episode of Tech Talk Radio. "We need to focus on how we make that product more sustainable, customer-centric and efficient."

Bulow-Lehnsby, who also co-founded European real estate investor NREP, added that anyone who is still part of the climate change problem within 10 years "won't have a business."

He was joined on the podcast by former Sidewalk Labs head of sustainability Nicole LeBlanc who is now platform partner at 2150. She said that with so much time pressure on the sector to embrace and fuel change fast, the noise within the industry around ESG can be overwhelming. She said that 2150's investors often come to them saying they have more than one tech company offering the same solution and they don't know where to start. "Don't get analysis paralysis," she said. "Put them all up against each other, work out what the outcome would be if you implemented each of them within your business. Ask for customer references and feedback. Pilot two of them if you still aren't sure. But you have to start somewhere."

For all of this and more on everything from first steps to the importance of funds and real estate firms sharing key tech solutions rather than curating technology for their own benefit, tune in to the podcast. 

You can also join both LeBlanc and Bulow-Lehnsby at CREtech Climate in Copenhagen on May 17th-19th. Find more information and registration details here www.cretechclimate.com 

In this week's EGLSM, Piers Wehner is joined by Pui-Guan Man and Alex Daniel to examine the latest gender pay gap figures and what they tell us about how well - or poorly - the real estate agency industry is addressing its challenges.

Along with a round-up of the news, there's the weekly quiz. Will all things, finally, be equal? Tune in to hear more.

There is no denying that wealth and opportunity needs to be spread more evenly across the UK, but does a focus on levelling up the country, run the risk of leaving London behind?

While the UK capital remains one of the most sought after areas for investment, London suffered throughout the pandemic and could run the risk of being left behind some of its global competitors if its importance in generating national revenue is dampened.

In this session we will investigate what impact the shift of investment from London to the regions could mean for the capital, where that shift is likely to be felt hardest and what needs to be done to make sure both London and the UK regions prosper.

The pandemic has significantly influenced occupier real-estate strategy, as priorities have shifted in favour of sustainability, wellbeing, and a smarter use of technology. Headquarters and general office relocation are a possibility for many and developers are incorporating new technologies and innovations that are attracting new tenants. Investment opportunities include firms interested in new life science offices as well as campuses. This session will explore the major redevelopments taking place in cities and how brands are making decisions on their next locations.

After a challenging year, we look at how UK cities are gaining foreign investment and their presence on the global stage. How has the pandemic, COP-26 and officially leaving the EU had on the value of investment in the UK from a global standpoint?