Portfolio strategy

Communication, Communication, Communication

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

Posted by:
Kevin Hastings
Head of Project & Development Services, Australia

We heard from Vito Chidio that the mantra of location, location, location should be replaced with communication, communication, communication in corporate real estate departments.

Communication has many facets – within our own teams, with business unit stakeholders and with the market. I liked Vito’s comment about Telstra engaging with industry before they made a decision to issue an RFP, to understand what thinking was out there that could help them deliver a better real estate solution to the business. Weoften we see companies go straight to the RFP stage without garnering opinion from the industry.

The Telstra transition to Jones Lang LaSalle happened in record speed – 45 days. Communication was key to the success of this transition across 14,000 sites. Simple things like a daily email updating on progress, co-locating the Telstra and Jones Lang LaSalle teams and agreeing a set of guiding principals up-front.

In Vito’s summation of the DNA of corporate real estate, the characteristic that resonated most with me was taking calculated risks. You aren’t going to go anywhere by standing still. But in taking those risks, you need to foresee and understand the risk to make the correct calculation.

Kevin

Posted in CoreNet Global Summit, Sydney 2010, Portfolio strategy | No Comments »

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Why is working in CRE like working in a nuclear power plant?

Friday, March 26th, 2010

Posted by:
Sylvia Koh
Head of Occupier Consulting, Asia Pacific

Strategy and portfolio planning (SPP) means different things to different people. The only constant is – we are not doing it enough.

CoreNet launched, for the first time in Asia, the SPP community at this Summit. As a member of the pioneer leadership team of the community, I am very excited about this initiative. This is what I am passionate about and what I do every day.

That’s why I listened closely to Fredrik Härén’s presentation on creativity yesterday. He explained how an “idea” is the product of taking two existing things and combining them in a new way. I think this is happening in CRE, where we are starting to take scenario planning (used in military and organizational strategy) and combine it with traditional portfolio planning to improve risk management.

Take Fredrik’s example of the nuclear power plant. Why do people working there need to be creative? Because, just like in CRE, they have to imagine every single thing that could possibly go wrong before it happens.

Sylvia

p.s find out more in my new report Lifting Your Game: Scenario planning for real estate, or take our quick online poll

Posted in CoreNet Global Summit, Singapore 2010, Leadership, Organizational strategy, Portfolio strategy | No Comments »

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Good things come in threes

Friday, March 26th, 2010

Posted by:
Jeremy Sheldon
Managing Director, Markets Asia Pacific

OK, so yes we have been through a downturn. Many of us have been through downturns before. What can we learn from it to ensure we emerge from the downturn with strength? Here are three key points that I took away from the breakout session:

  1. The downturn has helped CRE raise its profile within many organizations – so use the opportunity to stay in front of the “top table” , continue to play a part in shaping the organisation and thus change managements view of the role of CRE moving forward
  2. Optimisation may not necessarily mean cutting cost  – the downturn sharpens the focus on doing things effectively and efficiently, so CRE should capitalize and instill these disciplines into the culture of the company
  3. The intersection between CRE, HR and IT is more important than ever in periods of significant growth or contraction – don’t just think space management, think “change management”

As they say “do not waste a good recession”!!

Jeremy

Watch my podcast from live on-site at the Summit! Are you ready for what comes next?

Posted in CoreNet Global Summit, Singapore 2010, Economy, Organizational strategy, Outsourcing, Portfolio strategy | No Comments »

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The Fight Club: Eye of the tiger

Friday, March 26th, 2010

Posted by:
Marina Krishnan
Regional Director, Integrated Facilities Management – Regional Accounts & South Asia

Off with the Gloves! As soon as the bell rang, both sides showed no mercy in getting their points across. The crowd howled for more blood and that only spurred the fight.

The key issue here was the need for more communication between both sides. Strangely there was agreement to challenge the convention given the current state of affairs: unpredictable and volatile economic conditions and the “new normal” in which businesses have to operate. Cost containment and the difficulty in headcount forecasting were two points stressed by tenants. There was also the call for greater flexibility in lease agreements and the need for landlords to look for long term relationships with tenants. The landlords were understanding but stressed their need to keep rent covenants in check and blamed the lack of communication and understanding as roadblocks to negotiations. The one topic which both sides agreed on was the new design and specifications for buildings.

This love-hate punch out was actually looking for hugs!

Marina

Posted in CoreNet Global Summit, Singapore 2010, Location strategy, Portfolio strategy | No Comments »

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