JLL announces the appointment of Janey Douglas as Head of Sustainability for UK National Investment.
Edinburgh-based Douglas is tasked with ensuring that both environmental and social considerations are at the heart of client strategies.
JLL is driving the real estate sustainability agenda, with more than 350 experts around the world. It provides best-in-class advice through its strategy of embedding its sustainability experts in its business teams – ensuring clients get the latest insights and experience that directly apply to their needs.
In a JLL survey conducted last year, 89% of occupiers and investors agreed sustainability is increasingly important to their core strategy, so it is no surprise JLL is seeing a huge surge in demand for individual asset and cross-portfolio strategies which help clients integrate ESG measures. It’s a sector in its infancy, with 42% of investors positioning themselves as just ‘starting out’ on their decarbonisation journey, yet finding themselves having to decide whether to hold, sell or reposition assets that could become stranded in the future as regulations, occupier demand and investor metrics on this issue gather momentum.
Andrew Frost, Head of Capital Markets and Residential, JLL said “Our clients don’t see Sustainability as a ‘nice to have’. They rightly consider it a critical piece of their investment decision-making. Over the last 12 months we have seen a shift in our clients’ narrative around Sustainability, away from simply seeking ‘Green Premium’ opportunities and recognising the reality of ‘Brown Discounts.’ This is a complex and rapidly changing part of our business and so having people like Janey integrating Sustainability into our client advice, will help us become the most knowledgeable and progressive Capital Markets advisor – crucial for our client-first approach.”
An experienced Chartered Surveyor who has worked for eight years cross-sector in the Scottish Investment Market and more recently nationally, Janey Douglas will act as an interaction point between JLL’s business teams and the full extent of its sustainability division in the UK, working on specific transactions and feeding her market insight into the wider Sustainability agenda. “Sustainability has had a transformational effect on real estate and capital markets, with responsible investment being the core of our client’s investment strategies. The demand for strategic solutions and forward-thinking advice is rising, and I relish the opportunity to assist our clients in delivering their ambitious goals. JLL are integrating Sustainability across their full service offering and collaboration across the industry is vital, we have an exciting journey ahead of us and I am thrilled to take on this role.”
It’s the second Sustainability appointment for JLL Capital Markets in Q1 2022, with Ali Ingram becoming Head of Sustainability, EMEA Capital Markets. The company currently has 170 Sustainability jobs open in the UK alone, as it looks to aggressively grow its capabilities.
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