CBRE Group, Inc. announced that Robert Bernard, an executive with more than two decades of environmental sustainability experience, has joined the company as Chief Sustainability Officer and Senior Vice President, Client Sustainability Solutions.

In this role, Mr. Bernard will 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. In September 2021, CBRE pledged to reach net zero emissions by 2040.

“As the world’s largest commercial property manager, we have an outsized opportunity to influence sustainability across the built environment,” said Bob Sulentic, CBRE’s president and chief executive officer.  “Rob’s background, technical expertise and leadership skills uniquely position him to lead our efforts and we are excited that he has chosen to join CBRE to advance our internal and client-focused sustainability initiatives.”

See related article: CBRE Awarded WELL Certification Across its Three Toronto Offices, Now has the Most WELL Certified Spaces in the World

Mr. Bernard 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, Mr. Bernard 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 economy. He has also served as an advisor and consultant to National Geographic, Allbirds and Watsco, Inc.

“The built environment generates about 40% of the world’s carbon emissions. CBRE is deeply committed to doing our part to combat climate change and I look forward to working closely with my colleagues, our customers and business partners to decarbonize buildings around the world,” Mr. Bernard said.

Mr. Bernard holds a BA from Columbia University and an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.