• Cushman & Wakefield has appointed Stephanie Greene as Chief Sustainability Officer and Global Head of Sustainability Services.
• Greene will lead the firm’s global sustainability strategy and consulting platform for occupiers and investors.
• The appointment comes as real estate owners face rising pressure to cut emissions, improve resilience and protect long-term asset value.

Cushman & Wakefield Names New Sustainability Chief

Chicago-based Cushman & Wakefield has appointed Stephanie Greene as Chief Sustainability Officer and Global Head of Sustainability Services, placing an experienced real estate and energy strategist at the center of its global sustainability agenda.

The appointment comes at a decisive time for commercial real estate. Across global markets, owners, occupiers and investors face growing pressure to reduce emissions, manage climate risk and align assets with changing regulation. At the same time, buildings remain a major focus for corporate climate plans, given their energy use, operating costs and exposure to stricter reporting rules.

In her new role, Greene will lead Cushman & Wakefield’s global sustainability strategy and consulting platform. Her mandate spans client advisory work and the firm’s own environmental performance. She will work with occupiers and investors to improve operational performance, resilience and long-term value across real estate portfolios.

“Stephanie’s global perspective and deep expertise will be instrumental as we continue to scale our sustainability capabilities and deliver integrated solutions for our clients,” said Nathaniel Robinson, Chief Investment & Strategy Officer. “She brings a proven ability to translate complex challenges into actionable strategies that drive measurable results, and we look forward to the leadership she will bring to this critical area of our business.”

Real Estate Faces a Harder Sustainability Test

For global real estate firms, sustainability has moved well beyond voluntary reporting. Asset owners now face a more complex mix of tenant expectations, investor scrutiny, energy performance requirements and climate disclosure rules.

As a result, sustainability advisory has become a more strategic business line. Clients are looking for practical guidance on decarbonization, energy efficiency, capital planning, resilience and regulatory readiness. They also need support that connects strategy with execution across large and often fragmented portfolios.

Cushman & Wakefield said Greene will help strengthen that integrated approach. The firm provides sustainability services across asset classes, from strategy development through implementation. Through this model, it supports occupiers, owners and investors seeking to protect and enhance real estate value.

Greene brings more than two decades of experience across real estate, energy and strategy. Most recently, she served as Global Head of Sustainability Advisory at CBRE, where she led sustainability strategy and solution delivery for a global client base.

Before that, Greene held senior roles at the Rocky Mountain Institute and Pacific Gas and Electric Company. Her work has focused on innovation, large-scale systems transformation, decarbonization and advisory services. She holds a Master of Science in Earth Systems from Stanford University and an MBA from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.

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Scale Gives the Role Strategic Weight

Cushman & Wakefield manages approximately 6.5 billion square feet of real estate globally. Because of that scale, the firm has significant influence over how sustainability is embedded into property operations, investment decisions and client strategy.

“I’m excited to join Cushman & Wakefield at such a pivotal moment for the commercial real estate industry,” said Greene. “Clients are increasingly focused on embedding sustainability into core business strategy, and Cushman & Wakefield, with approximately 6.5 billion square feet of real estate that we manage globally, is uniquely positioned to help them do so at scale. I look forward to working across the firm to drive meaningful outcomes for clients while continuing to grow our own impact.”

The appointment also reflects a wider shift in how the commercial real estate sector treats sustainability leadership. Chief sustainability officers are no longer confined to reporting and internal targets. Instead, they are increasingly expected to guide client growth, risk management, asset performance and capital strategy.

For occupiers, the stakes include energy costs, workplace standards and Scope 3 emissions. For investors, the focus is asset resilience, regulatory exposure and long-term value preservation. Meanwhile, for service firms, the opportunity lies in turning those pressures into practical, portfolio-level solutions.

What Executives Should Take Away

Cushman & Wakefield’s appointment of Greene points to a larger market reality. Sustainability capability is becoming a competitive factor in real estate services.

As climate policy tightens and corporate reporting expands, clients will need more than high-level targets. They will need data, execution support and commercially viable pathways to cut risk across portfolios.

For C-suite leaders and investors, the message is clear. Real estate sustainability is now tied directly to governance, capital allocation and asset performance. In that context, firms that can connect advisory with implementation will be better positioned as climate expectations reshape the built environment worldwide.

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