Earlier this year, ASI collaborated with QuadReal Property Group to facilitate dialogue across their Sustainability, Environmental, Health & Safety, and Community teams to guide the cultivation of a shared vision, and to explore what cultural shifts were needed to support their journey to net zero. As a global real estate investment, operating, and development company with more than $67 Billion in assets under management, QuadReal has been recognized globally for their commitment to sustainability, and their reduction in emissions and consumption.
We’re inspired by QuadReal’s recent decarbonization strategy announcement, aiming for net zero across their entire portfolio by 2050, and we’re honoured to have played a small role in supporting the QuadReal team to surface meaningful opportunities to engage the organization in these efforts.
We had the chance to chat with QuadReal’s Sustainability Manager, Daniele Magditsch, and Director of Sustainability, Nisha Agrawal, after the conclusion of the project to get their insights into how this collaboration helped them.
In response to our question of what their team is learning about leading a net zero transition, Daniele shared the following: “Our net zero transition will be a collaborative effort with all departments. There are a lot of questions, but overall, people are on board, supportive, and excited about our commitments. Our next steps will be to continue engaging with different departments, build tools and communication resources, and be transparent with our progress. We will need to acknowledge that we don’t have all the answers right now, but we plan to work in partnership with industry associations and governments to share knowledge and establish better standardized approaches and methodologies.”
During our collaboration, ASI co-facilitated a workshop with QuadReal, where we engaged the Sustainability, Environmental, H&S and Community teams, which all have a different role to play in QuadReal’s journey to net zero. The intention was to get a perspective on how each team would be impacted by the net zero commitment, surface what possible roadblocks could exist, and learn how each team member could work collaboratively to move past challenges into a shared vision of a net zero future for the company.
Among other things, the workshop helped to support the different teams’ roles towards the net zero transition through finding pathways to:
- Support internal community building and communityship;
- Generate better “system sight” by learning from one another’s experiences and perspectives across the organization;
- Practice futures thinking; address team capacity challenges, and cultivate personal and team resilience; and
- Make sense of complex challenges as a collective and create a shared language around QuadReal’s net zero journey.
In terms of key insights generated from the workshop, Daniele and Nisha highlighted the need for developing communication tools to provide clarity on everyone’s roles and responsibilities in the transition, and more skills training and knowledge sharing across various departments within the organization.
“ASI offered a highly customized workshop focused on learning, versus offering training”.
If you would like ASI to help you find the best approach to your organization’s transition to net zero, please visit our Custom Engagements webpage to learn more! We will be happy to work with you to find the best solution to your needs.
