What's driving ESG investments in 2023? This question was attempted to be answered by the participants of one of the panel discussions at the CEE Property Forum 2023 conference, which was held last week in Vienna. We write about some of the answers they found in the summary below.

Knight Frank Hungary has appointed Melinda Kovács as Associate Director. Specialized in office development and leasing transactions, she has a wide breadth of property knowledge, having gained experience throughout her career by working for international developers such as Skanska and Atenor as well as real estate advisory firms.

Wing has published its second ESG report, providing information about its environmental, social, and governance efforts, as well as its goals, the measures it has taken and the results it has achieved in 2022. The report has been prepared in accordance with the company’s first comprehensive ESG strategy, which will be finalised soon.

A key to a successful property development is a responsible real estate development strategy which also takes into account accessibility, self-sustainability and biodiversity. Zsolt Hintenberger MRICS, Managing Partner at Realiscon talked to Property Forum about the different aspects of ESG compliance, going deeper than the usual buzzwords.

CBRE announced that sustainability expert Steffen Walvius has joined the company. Steffen will lead the Energy & Carbon service offerings across Continental Europe, expanding the suite of ESG & Sustainability services the company delivers to clients.

Property Forum is proud to be joining the first European World Built Environment Forum as a Media Partner. The event, organised by Property Forum’s long-term partner, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), will be held at the Procuratie Vecchie, Venice, a historical landmark in Piazza San Marco, in collaboration with Generali Real Estate.

Focus Estate Fund plans to convert its entire shopping centre portfolio to solar-powered facilities. The first initiative was inaugurated with the installation of solar panels at Galeria Awangarda in Bartoszyce.

Warehouse developer LCube has secured planning permission for another of its investments – Lcube Mszczonów. The project calls for the development of an industrial and warehouse park, spanning approximately 31,500 square meters on a nearly 8-hectare site.

Andrei Văcaru, Head of Capital Markets CEE at iO Partners, spoke to Property Forum about the volume of local real estate investments in 2023 and Romania’s ability to attract more institutional investors in various sectors.

Costin Nistor, Managing Director of Fortim Trusted Advisors, spoke to Property Forum about the real estate agency’s plans for 2023, the outlook for the regional real estate market and the growing role of the ESG agenda for the office and soon the residential sector.