About GRESB
Our Vision
Sustainable Real Assets – our vision is a real asset investment industry that plays a critical role in creating a sustainable world – one where society can meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs.
Our Mission
The transition to sustainable real assets is one of the most fundamental challenges we face. It can only be met with reliable ESG information, standardized global benchmarks and collective action from all our stakeholders as we work towards a more sustainable future.
Our mission is to assess and benchmark the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) and other related performance of real assets, providing standardised and validated data to the capital markets.
Our Work
GRESB Assessments are guided by what investors and the industry consider to be material issues in the sustainability performance of real asset investments, and are aligned with international reporting frameworks, such as GRI, PRI, SASB, DJSI, TCFD recommendations, the Paris Climate Agreement, UN SDGs, region and country specific disclosure guidelines.
Each year reporting to the GRESB Assessments generates the following ESG benchmarks for the industry:
- Real Estate Benchmark
- Real Estate Development Benchmark
- Infrastructure Fund Benchmark
- Infrastructure Asset Benchmark
Assessment participants receive comparative business intelligence on where they stand against their peers, insight into the actions they can take to improve their ESG performance and a communication platform to engage with investors.
Investors use the ESG data and GRESB’s analytical tools to monitor their investments, engage with their managers, and make decisions that lead to a more sustainable and resilient real asset industry.
Our Governance
Following GRESB’s change in ownership, we are establishing an independent, non-profit foundation – the GRESB Foundation (or “Foundation”) – to own and govern the GRESB Standards upon which the GRESB Assessments are based.
The role of the existing Real Estate and Infrastructure Advisory Boards (renamed as Standards Boards) and Benchmark Committees (renamed as Standards Committees) will be formalized under the governance of the Foundation and will continue to oversee the development and maintenance of the Standards.
GRESB BV will continue to be responsible for administering the GRESB Assessments, providing the benchmarks, promoting widespread adoption of the GRESB Standards and supporting investor and participant members.
GRESB BV will become a benefit corporation and seek formal B-Corp certification, in order to build accountability for its mission into its legal structure and to protect this accountability over the long term.
GRESB partnered with Summit Partners, a global alternative investment firm, to acquire GRESB BV from GBCI.
GRESB’s new Governance Structure, due to be established by year-end 2020, is shown in the diagram below:
GRESB Foundation
We are establishing an independent GRESB Foundation to own and govern the GRESB Standards on which the Assessments are based.
Foundation Board
The Foundation Board will have broad representation from across GRESB Investor Members to ensure that the Standards remain investor-led, mission-driven and responsive to investor needs.
GRESB’s former non-executive directors (representing Investor Members) will serve as the first Foundation Board Members: Mathieu Elshout Senior Director Private Real Estate, PGGM Investments; Patrick Kanters, Managing Director Global Real Assets, APG Asset Management; and Deborah Ng, Head of Responsible Investing and Director, Total Fund Management, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. Other Foundation Board Members will be recruited from the GRESB Investor Membership.
The existing Real Estate and Infrastructure Advisory Boards and Benchmark Committees (renamed as Standards Boards and Standards Committees respectively) will be formalized under the governance of the Foundation and continue to oversee the development and maintenance of the Standards.
We aim to have the GRESB Foundation and its boards and committees in place by year end 2020.
Real Estate Advisory Board
The Real Estate Advisory Board consists of voluntary, individual representatives of GRESB Investor Members and Industry Partners. The Advisory Board provides strategic advice and input to GRESB regarding its products and services related to the Real Estate Assessment.
The chairs of the Regional Benchmark Committees serve as vice chairs on the respective Advisory Boards.
| Dan Grandage | Aberdeen Standard Investments |
| Derk Welling | APG Asset Management |
| Helena Olin | AP2 |
| Kathleen Mitzschke | LaSalle Global Partner Solutions |
| Rina Lessing | CalPERS |
| Aleksandra Njagulj | CBRE Global Investors |
| Masato Kaizaki | Development Bank of Japan (DBJ) |
| Hassan Sabir | European Real Estate Association (EPRA) |
| Jorge Chapa | Green Building Council of Australia |
| Rob Simpson | Ivanhoé Cambridge |
| Peter van den Tol | Mn Services (Listed) |
| Christopher Wright | Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM) |
| Marieke van Kamp | NN Group |
| Edward Trafford | NTAM (Northern Trust) |
| Olivia Muir | UBS Global Real Estate (Multi-Manager) |
| Jane Wakiwaka | The Crown Estate |
We aim to have the GRESB Foundation and its boards and committees in place by year end 2020.
Infrastructure Advisory Board
The Infrastructure Advisory Board consists of voluntary, individual representatives of GRESB Investor Members and Industry Partners. The Advisory Board provides strategic advice and input to GRESB regarding its products and services related to the Infrastructure Assessment.
| Alison Schneider | Alberta Investment Management Corporation |
| Adam Kirkman | AMP Capital |
| Cameron Talbot-Stern | APG Asset Management N.V |
| Susanne Røge Lund | ATP Group |
| Edward Dixon | Aviva Investors |
| Joel Posters | Future Fund |
| Vincent Cassagne | Vauban Infrastructure Partners |
| Tomas Dauden | Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board (OTPP) |
| Nomination of representative pending | Pension Danmark |
| Brenda Kramer | PGGM Vermogensbeheer B.V. |
| Marketa Ostadalova (maternity cover for Fanny Bourdais de Charbonnier) | The California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) |
| Morgan Angus | Townsend Holdings LLC |
| David Russell | USS |
Real Estate Regional Benchmark Committee
The Real Estate Regional Benchmark Committee consists of voluntary individual representatives of GRESB Members and Partners. The Committees give commercial and technical input to GRESB regarding the content of the GRESB Assessments, other infrastructure products and services and on GRESB’s relationship with the global, and regional real estate sector.
| Europe Benchmark Committee | |
| Rudy Verstappen | Altera Vastgoed |
| Maximilian Kufer | AXA IM Real Assets |
| Katherine Sherwin | BlackRock Real Assets |
| James Fisher | BRE Global Limited |
| Sam Carson | Carbon Credentials |
| Fillip Elland | Castellum |
| Abigail Dean | Nuveen |
| Alexander Flueck | Swiss Life Asset Managers |
| Jane Wakiwaka | The Crown Estate |
| Clement Jeannin | Unibail Rodamco |
| Anna Denell | Vasakronan |
| Paul Stepan | Verco Advisory Services Limited |
| North America Benchmark Committee | |
| Anne Peck | AEW |
| Ari Frankel | Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. |
| Anna Murray | Bentall Kennedy |
| Karen Mahrous | Codegreen |
| Jessica Elengical | Deutsche Wealth and Asset Management |
| Rob Simpson | Ivanhoé Cambridge |
| Deborah Cloutier | RE Tech Advisors |
| Mychele Lord | LORD Green Real Estate Strategies |
| Darryl Neate | Oxford Properties |
| David DeVos | PGIM Real Estate |
| Ethan Gilbert | Prologis |
| Chris Maddern | Schneider Electric |
| Karen Jalon | The Cadillac Fairview Corporation Limited |
| Wayne Zorger | UBS Global Real Estate |
| Brenna Walraven | USAA Real Estate Company |
| Daniele Horton | Verdani LLC |
| Dan Egan | Vornado Realty Trust |
| Asia Benchmark Committee | |
| Robert McMickan | Aberdeen Asset Management |
| Amélie Delaunay | ANREV |
| Benjamin McCarron | ARE |
| Wincel Kaufman | Blackrock Real Assets |
| Jennifer Hsu | Blackstone |
| Peng Er Foo | CapitaLand |
| Jessica Feng | CBRE Advisors |
| James Lee | Chongbang |
| Esther An | City Developments Limited |
| Ryuichi Horie | CSR Design Green Investment Advisory, Co., Ltd. |
| Hideki Kobayashi | Japan Real Estate Asset Management Co., Ltd |
| Mark Cameron | JLL |
| Tom Miller | LaSalle Investment Management |
| Calvin Kwan | Link REIT |
| Raymond Yau | Swire Properties |
| Australia Benchmark Committee | |
| Chris Nunn | AMP Capital |
| Danny DeSousa | Brookfield Office Properties, Inc |
| Margot Black | Charter Hall |
| Rob Sims | DEXUS Property Group |
| Dave Solsky | Envizi |
| Marine Calmettes | Frasers Property Australia |
| James Vesper | Goodman Group |
| Jorge Chapa | Green Building Council of Australia |
| Nina James | Investa |
| Alicia Maynard | ISPT |
| Chewy Chang | Lendlease |
| Susannah West | Mirvac |
| Claire Berecry | NABERS (The New South Wales Office of Environment and Heritage) |
| Francesca Muskovic | Property Council of Australia (PCA) |
| Amy Hogan | Stockland |
| Ben Thomas | The GPT Group |
| Matea Cehovin | Vicinity Centres |
Infrastructure Regional Benchmark Committee
The Infrastructure Regional Benchmark Committee consists of voluntary individual representatives of GRESB Members and Partners. The Committees give commercial and technical input to GRESB regarding the content of the GRESB Assessments, other infrastructure products and services and on GRESB’s relationship with the global, and regional infrastructure sector.
| EMEA Benchmark Committee | |
| Neil Krawitz | Arcus |
| Allister Sykes | Asper |
| Katherine Sherwin | Blackrock |
| Aurélien Roelens | Cube Infrastructure Managers |
| Dan Wells | Foresight Group |
| Yan Shi | GIC |
| Gioia Torresi | Hermes |
| Mary Nicholson | MIRA/Macquarie |
| Christine Sobieski | Ørsted |
| Mike Eady | University Partnership Programme |
| Valeria Rosati (maternity cover for Anne Noëlle Le Gal) | Vantage |
| Lucinda Hearth | DWS |
| Ian Nicholson | BRE(CEEQUAL) |
| Sabine Chalopin | Denham Capital |
| François Bergère | Long-term Infrastructure Investors Association (LTIIA) |
| Pablo Nuñez | GIB Foundation |
| Americas/Asia Pacific | |
| Ryuichi Horie | CSR Design |
| Leigh Gapp | Adelaide Airport Limited |
| Jon Collinge | Morrison & Co |
| Tricia Burnell | Alinda |
| Amanda Wallace | JP Morgan Asset Management |
| Adina Schwartz | Morgan Stanley |
| Josh Nothwang | WSP |
| Tony Pringle | Quinn & Partners |
| Anastasiia Bessonova | QIC |
| Anthony Gordon | AVAIO Capital |
Industry Working Groups
Industry Working Groups examine specific topics relevant to GRESB Assessments, benchmarks and related services.
We are agreeing the 2021 Industry Working Group topics with the industry.
GRESB BV
GRESB BV will become a benefit corporation and seek formal B-corp certification to ensure accountability for the mission over the long term. GRESB BV will move to a dual board governance structure with a Supervisory Board and a Management Board.
Supervisory Board
The Supervisory board will guide the Management Board and ensure GRESB fulfills its mission as a benefit corporation (B-corp). The Supervisory Board will comprise Christian Strain, Johannes Grefe and Chris Bon from Summit Partners and one independent Director (to be appointed). We are actively seeking candidates for this independent Director role.
Management Board
The Management Board oversees GRESB’s day-to-day business to ensure GRESB fulfills its mission as a benefit corporation (B-corp). The Management Board comprises the CEO, Sander Paul van Tongeren and other executives. We are currently reviewing our needs at the executive level and these appointments will be made ensuring we bring a diverse range of experience and the latest thinking to bear to help us achieve our mission.
Management Team
GRESB Team
Regional Representative
Asia Research & Engagement (ARE) represents GRESB in Asia excluding Japan.
| Benjamin McCarron | Managing Director |
| Xinying Tok | Senior Manager |
| Jehee Moon | Junior Research Analyst |
| Timothy Tan | Operations Manager |
Current vacancies