CBRE
CEF Lead Executives
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ROB BERNARD
Chief Sustainability Officer and SVP, Client Sustainability Solutions
Rob has over two decades of environmental sustainability experience. Rob joined CBRE in February 2023 to drive enterprise-wide strategies that strengthen the suite of sustainability services the company delivers for clients, as well as strategies that enable CBRE to achieve its own carbon-reduction and sustainability goals. Rob previously served as the first Chief Environmental Strategist at Microsoft, where he established a global strategic framework to transform company-wide approaches to carbon, climate, energy, water and waste. Most recently, Rob founded and served as Managing Director of a private equity firm, Commonwealth Equity Partners, LLC, focused on investments in companies that participate in the circular ecomy. He has also served as an advisor and consultant to National Geographic, Allbirds and Watsco, Inc. Rob holds a BA from Columbia University and an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.
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MIKE GROPPIList Item 2
VP, COO/Chief Engineer Energy & Sustainability
Michael Groppi is responsible for CBRE’s global utility data aggregation/analysis system, the development of new energy and sustainability solutions, investigation of cutting edge technologies, thought leadership and management of E&S supplier alliances. He also serves as the Chief Engineer for the CBRE E&S team. Prior to joining CBRE, Mr. Groppi was Senior Vice President of Energy, Sustainability and Technology Solutions for Grubb & Ellis where he developed and implemented energy and sustainability solutions for corporate clients. He was the co-author of a Strategic Energy Plan for Microsoft’s 15 million square foot Redmond campus and spearheaded Grubb & Ellis’ participation in DOE programs including the Commercial Real Estate Energy Alliance, Superior Energy Performance Partnership and Retuning. He has also been a frequent speaker on energy management topics in forums such as CoreNet, Realcomm and CoRETech.
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CHRIS BAHR
Senior Managing Director, Global Sustainability Solutions
Chris is a seasoned global enterprise executive with large company and start-up experience, including over twenty years with IBM's Software Group. Chris is passionate about creating business value and positive transformation with technology. He is committed to the belief that corporate sustainability and diversity initiatives are aligned with improving business performance, outcomes, and shareholder value. Over the course of his career, Chris has demonstrated success in leading new ventures and complex business challenges. He has a long track record of retooling and professionalizing revenue functions and subsequently producing significant growth. Chris has lived and worked with teams in New York, Washington DC, Silicon Valley, Shanghai, Seoul and Chicago. Chris graduated from the University of Vermont and received an MBA from Georgetown University. Outside of work, Chris enjoys life in Chicago with his wife and three kids.
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TIM DISMOND
Chief Responsibility Officer
Tim oversees CBRE’s ESG efforts and is a member of the Executive Committee. He serves on the Black Excellence employee business resource group Executive Committee and was named one of the 2020 Most Influential Black Executives in Corporate America by Savoy. Previously, Tim served as CBRE’s first global Chief Diversity Officer. In February 2021, his scope of responsibilities expanded to include all ESG efforts including DE&I, Environmental Sustainability, Workplace Safety & Wellbeing, Philanthropy and Public/Government Affairs. Tim was also the President of the South Division of CBRE’s Global Workplace Solutions (GWS) | Enterprise business. Earlier in his career with CBRE, Tim was Executive Managing Director for the Central Division within GWS. Prior to CBRE, Tim held several executive positions at Sprint, including Enterprise Operations. Tim is a broker and licensed attorney by profession, and practiced law at a large law firm in Kansas City for several years.
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BOB BRUNING
Chief Procurement Officer
Bob leads the organization responsible for all global CBRE-related and client-facing procurement, including $56 billion annual purchases of equipment and services related to facilities management. He has over 20 years of experience helping Fortune 500 companies devise and implement strategies to improve their procurement and supply chain operations. The core of his experience is with global companies that have multi-site operations and highly complex international supply chains. Prior to CBRE, Bob held senior Supply Chain roles at Flowserve and Oldcastle. He also spent 12 years working in management consulting as a supply chain expert, where he gained a diverse set of experience across multiple industries and operating models. He has a passion for building high-performance organizations, leading transformation programs that improve results, and driving innovation throughout the business. Bob has an MBA from the University of Michigan Business School and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Clarkson University.
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MARCELLA THOMPSON
SVP, Sustainability
Marcella is responsible for delivering on CBRE’s sustainability commitments, including achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2040. She brings teams together from across CBRE to enable change and drive progress towards our net zero goal. Marcella also oversees compilation of CBRE’s corporate greenhouse gas inventory in accordance with leading standards and facilitates corporate ESG reporting. Marcella joined CBRE in 2022, bringing over 20 years of experience in the sustainability field. She’s worked in both consulting and corporate leadership roles and has balanced technical expertise with organizational leadership skills throughout her career. Marcella recently served as the national sustainability and resiliency practice lead for HDR, a global architecture, engineering and professional services firm. Marcella also served as ConAgra Foods’ first global sustainability director. Lastly, Marcella led an internal sustainable development awards program that continues to this day, delivering $218 million in savings between 2009 and 2015.
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TIM TAYLOR
Winner CEF Leadership Program (2018)
Senior Program Manager, Facility Management Operations
Tim Taylor is a Senior Program Manager at CBRE, the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm. Tim works to drive innovation, cost savings and deliver client-focused outcomes in facility management services for Fortune 500 clients across the globe. He joined CBRE in 2015 and spent several years managing sustainable operations to achieve ambitious client goals in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, energy, water, and waste. Before CBRE, he worked as an account manager at the U.S. Green Building Council where he customized green building strategies for top users of LEED. He is a LEED Accredited Professional and a Certified Energy Manager. Tim holds a master’s degree in Sustainability and Environmental Management from Harvard University and a BS in Business Administration from Elon University. He is a Maryland native who currently resides in Charlotte, North Carolina with his wife and two daughters.
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EMILY WILLSON
CEFNext
Director, Energy & Sustainability, Global Workplace Solutions
Emily leads CBRE’s energy and sustainability program for the real estate portfolio of a Fortune 500 technology sector client. Under Emily’s leadership, CBRE has delivered more than 35 million kilowatt hours and $5M USD in energy savings and has expanded the client’s utility data management to address 150 sites in 20 countries, covering 16 million square feet of data center and office facilities. She also leads CBRE’s Global Workplace Solutions inter-company networking events for the Washington, DC region. Prior to joining CBRE, Emily served as the U.S. Green Building Council’s product manager for the LEED Volume Program, a platform that enables large building owners of office, government, retail, and hotel properties to expand their sustainability programs on a portfolio-wide basis.
Sustainability Goals
2025-2026 Sustainability Goals
- Reduce Scope 2 GHG emissions 30% by 2025
- Achieve 100% renewable electricity and transition to electric vehicles by 2025
- Reduce Scope 1 GHG emissions 20% by 2026
2035 Sustainability Goals
- Reduce Scope 2 GHG emissions by 50%
- Curb Scope 3 Use of Sold Products emissions in facilities managed for occupiers worldwide by 79% per sq. ft
- Curb Scope 3 Use of Sold Products emissions in facilities managed for investors worldwide by 67% per sq. ft
Latest Sustainability Report
2022 Corporate Responsibility Report
(May 2023)
Highlights
- Reduced Scope 1 and 2 emissions 16% from a 2019 baseline.
- Registered more than 8,300 buildings for energy performance globally for clients.
- Issued more than $2.5 billion in green financing bonds and notes.
- Spent $4.9 billion with sustainable suppliers (a 47% increase from 2021), and $2.9 billion with small and diverse suppliers.
- Provided workforce training for a low carbon future including: 3,300 property management staff since 2016; sustainability fluency across 20 countries; and sustainable procurement.
- Named the 4th Most Sustainable US Company in 2023 by Barron’s.
- Included in Ethisphere’s World’s Most Ethical Companies for the 10th year in a row and the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index for the 4th year in a row.
- Received an EPA 2023 Energy Star Partner of the Year: Sustained Excellence Award.
- Scored in the 90th percentile on the Corporate Political Disclosure and Accountability Index.
Recent News
2024
Asia Pacific Real Estate Chief Sustainability Officer Survey (CBRE and U.S. Green Building Council) — The role of Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) is growing in the Asia Pacific region, according to this survey of 67 Asia Pacific real estate leasing and investment companies. Highlights include (March 2024):
- 84% of respondents have established CSO positions, with about half of these created in the past three years.
- The net zero target date of asset owners is 20 years later than occupiers, with 53% of occupiers having net zero targets by 2030, and 51% of asset owners having net zero targets by 2050.
- 75% of asset owners adopted green finance, such as for capital-intensive construction or acquisition of green buildings.
- Asset owners plan to increase green buildings in their portfolios from 39% to 63% over the next three years.
Renovation Revolution — This initiative, launched by Climate Group and five corporate partners, including CEF Member CBRE, aims to accelerate the European building renovation rate to the EU’s annual 2030 target of 2.5% (from the current 1%). It will research how governments and businesses can overcome various financial and policy barriers to increase renovation rates and increase efficiency in commercial and public buildings. (Feb 2024)
2023
Members of the Corporate Electric Vehicle Alliance sent a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reiterating the need for strong heavy-duty vehicle emission standards to meet national climate and economic goals as well as corporate sustainability goals. The letter, the Alliance’s second, also underscored that the growing number of companies committed to zero-emissions trucks demonstrates that these are both operationally and financially viable. The Alliance represents 33 U.S. companies that own, lease, or operate more than 2.5 million fleet vehicles, and includes CEF Members Amazon, CBRE, and Siemens. (Dec 2023)
Announced a strategic partnership with carbon accounting software provider Emitwise to collect greenhouse gas emissions data from its supply chain and provide carbon accounting capabilities to its suppliers. This will enable suppliers to calculate more accurate carbon impacts and learn where to focus efforts to accelerate decarbonization, while CBRE clients will gain access to more accurate emissions data and to high-impact decarbonization opportunities.
31 companies with significant commercial fleets sent a letter to U.S. governors in 9 states urging them to accelerate and support the shift to zero-emission vehicles by adopting the Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) and Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC II) rules in their respective states. Together, the two rules require increasing rates of sales for zero-emission light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles over the coming years. The companies, including CEF members Amazon, CBRE, and Siemens, are part of the Corporate Electric Vehicle Alliance, and represent over $1.2 trillion in annual revenue and collectively own, lease, or operate more than 2.7 million fleet or networked vehicles in the U.S. (Aug 2023)
2022
The Ceres-led Corporate Electric Vehicle Alliance (CEVA)—which includes CEF members Amazon, CBRE, and Siemens—and the NAFA Fleet Management Association (NAFA) have sent a letter to State leaders and the Federal Highway Administration with recommendations to guide the build-out of EV charging infrastructure, "particularly as states look to spend funds from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program…” The letter, includes recommendations that planners (July 2022):
- Site charging stations by analyzing commercial traffic/goods movement patterns and ensure that sufficient charging is placed near densely populated and/or urban areas.
- Separate commercial charging sites for light-duty and medium/heavy-duty vehicles, when possible, to reduce operational disruptions; Standardize charging technology and station design for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles.
- Coordinate roaming agreements between networks and simplified, universal payment methods.
- Place charging stations for light-duty vehicles no more than 50 miles apart; Co-locate charging stations with other amenities like food and restrooms.
FIFTH WALL — Venture capital firm Fifth Wall has raised $500 million for a first-of-its-kind fund that brings large-scale real estate owners and operators together to invest in the decarbonization of their industry. Real estate, which is estimated to account for about 40% of total global GHG emissions, is “the single-biggest lever we can turn on to mitigate climate change," said Fifth Wall co-founder Brendan Wallace. CEF member CBRE is among the firms who made initial commitments to the new Climate Fund, which will invest in companies specializing in software, hardware, renewable energy, energy storage, smart buildings, and carbon sequestration technologies that can help the property industry cut emissions. (July 2022)
2021
The Corporate Electric Vehicle Alliance (CEVA), a Ceres-led group of 28 companies and fleet operators representing over $1 trillion in annual revenue, sent a letter urging the US government to establish “open standards” for public EV charging infrastructure to accelerate widespread EV adoption. They say standards such as OCPP and OCPI are key to creating “an interoperable charging network” and “enabling EV drivers to freely utilize public charge points.” Signatories include CEF members Amazon, CBRE, and Siemens. (Nov 2021)
Corporate Electric Vehicle Alliance (CEVA)
—
The
Ceres-led alliance of 27 companies and fleet operators representing over $1 trillion in annual revenue
sent a
letter urging US auto and truck manufacturers to expand their zero-emission vehicle offerings. They noted that
CEVA members plan to buy at least 377,750 US-based zero-emissions vehicles in the next 5 years, with
95%
saying they
would switch manufacturers to obtain the vehicle capacity and features they need. Signatories include CEF members
Amazon, CBRE, and
Siemens. (Oct 2021)
MORE »
86 NEW COMPANIES SIGN “THE CLIMATE PLEDGE” — Amazon announced that
over 86 companies worldwide joined
“The Climate Pledge,” thereby
committing to reach net-zero emissions by 2040.
New signatories include CEF members
CBRE, HP, and
Procter & Gamble.
The Pledge now has
200 signatories representing over $1.8 trillion in annual revenue, 21 countries, 26 industries, and over 7 million employees.
(Sept 2021)
MORE »
MORE 2 »
Over 80 companies—with combined annual revenue of $1.5 trillion, $341 billion in assets, and over 3 million U.S. employees—called on federal lawmakers to support ambitious climate policy action to address the climate crisis and advance environmental justice
as part of the Ceres-led “LEAD on Climate” advocacy day. CEF members participating included Amazon, CBRE, Dell Technologies, Dow, HP Inc., McDonald’s, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Samsung Electronics America, Siemens,
and Unilever. (May 2021)
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Earned an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Sustained Excellence Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the 14th consecutive year. Earlier in the year, the company was recognized as #22 on the Barron’s list of 100 Most Sustainable Companies in the U.S., the top-ranked real estate company on Fortune's Most Admired Company roster for the 3rd year in a row, and one of Ethisphere’s 2021 World’s Most Ethical Companies for the 8th year in a row. (April 2021)
MORE »
Members of the Corporate Electric Vehicle Alliance (CEVA) and the BICEP Network sent letters (CEVA letter and the BICEP letter) calling for the Biden administration to adopt vehicle standards aligned with climate science and consistent with a pathway to 100% zero-emission vehicle sales by 2035. The two Ceres-led networks represent over 80 companies with combined annual revenue of $1.3 trillion and include Amazon, CBRE, Kaiser Permanente, McDonald’s, Microsoft, Siemens, Tiffany & Co., Unilever, and VF Corporation. (April 2021)
Ethisphere released its 2021 list of the World’s Most Ethical Companies. CEF members recognized include (March 2021):
- 3M
- ADM
- Aptiv
- CBRE
- Dell Technologies
- Ecolab
- General Motors
- HanesBrands
- Hewlett Packard Enterprise
- Honeywell
- HP
- International Paper
- Kaiser Permanente
- Kimberly-Clark
- Mastercard
- Microsoft
- PepsiCo
- VF Corporation
- Visa
- Waste Management
Ranked 22nd on Barron's 2021 Most Sustainable Companies list (February 2021)
Recognized as the
#1 Real Estate Company on Fortune's Most Admired List for the
third consecutive year
(February 2021)
MORE »
Named a
Best Place to Work for LGBTQ by the Human Rights Campaign and earned a
perfect score in Corporate Equality Index for the
eighth consecutive year. (January 2021)
MORE »
2020
CBRE has pledged to spend $1 billion with diverse suppliers in 2021. The company plans to increase its investment with diverse suppliers to $3 billion in five years. (October 2020)
Organized the largest fundraising campaign in its history, with its COVID-19 Relief Fund raising $15.3 million from employees and the company’s contribution to help regional and local organizations as well as CBRE’s own employees who are facing financial hardship due to the pandemic. (June 2020)
Winner of the 2020 ENERGY STAR Awards, which recognize organizations for developing energy efficient products and services that help customers save money and energy. (April 2020)
Included on the Ethisphere 2020 list of the World’s Most Ethical Companies. (March 2020)
2019
Named to the Investor’s Business Daily (IBD) list of Top 50 Best ESG Companies. CBRE is #23 and the only commercial real estate services firm on the list. (Nov 2019)