CBRE has appointed Paul Hubbard-Brown as head of occupier accounts for Europe, effective immediately, CoStar News can reveal.
In the newly created role, Hubbard-Brown will be responsible for building and leading the corporate outsourcing business, Occupier Accounts, working closely with stakeholders across CBRE’s services.
Hubbard-Brown returned to the UK with his family after 15 years working for CBRE in Hong Kong in 2023, in part a decision he made after suffering a significant illness. His new role underlines the agency's commitment to supporting its staff, he said in an exclusive conversation with CoStar News.
“I’ve felt supported by CBRE through all of the challenges I’ve faced since living with a disability, and it is incredibly important to me to share my story to encourage others – I want to show people that you can hold senior roles.”
Anna Esteban, head of leasing and occupier accounts for Europe at CBRE, explained: “Most of our clients are European or global organisations, and the creation of this role will help us strengthen connectivity and consistency in client experience across countries. Paul has been with CBRE since 2009, and the breadth of his experience makes him the perfect candidate to take on this new opportunity.”
Hubbard-Brown has 27 years of real estate experience, working with occupiers across Europe and Asia-Pacific regions. He joined CBRE from JLL before moving to Hong Kong. He led the occupier accounts business in Asia-Pacific until 2023 and has held a series of key, senior roles in the UK.
He says global brokers have increasingly focused on providing strategic advice across geographies to corporates, particularly since the pandemic. "Fifteen years ago brokerages were more likely focused on securing outcomes in a local market with a one-off transaction that was more targeted. But since the pandemic real estate has found a greater seat at the table with the C-suite which understands the more important role real estate has to play in talent retention. Rental figures are less important than talent retention when discussing real estate now. Today's demand buildings that provide food and beverage and amenity and a vibrant local area."
Across a portfolio, a company will want to know where talent is based and will want to be located – whether that is offshore for some roles, or onshore for others.
Hubbard-Brown says an example is Canary Wharf which is increasingly becoming a home to AI talent and tech, which in turn attracts financial companies who need to employ these skillsets to explore what AI can offer their businesses.
His remit takes in all commercial asset classes, with a focus on opening up the entire life cycle global service offer CBRE commands to its clients. "That ranges from planning advice to what terms are needed to future proof portfolios, to ESG and green leases, to fit out and understanding capital planning, to facilities management to operating the space and the customer experience. A lot of work goes into advising on change management, taking an employee on a journey from working from home to hybrid working for instance."
There are clear nuances in Asia, compared with Continental Europe or the UK, Hubbard-Brown says. "The return to the office for instance has been much stronger in Asia when compared to Europe, the UK, Australia and America. And even there, Continental Europe has returned to the office more quickly than the UK. We have hubs in Europe, in London, in the Netherlands, in Germany, France and the Nordics, with a headcount of circa 400 professionals that are dedicated to our occupier accounts business. It is important to have local knowledge and focus for clients."
In the industrial space the focus is different. "For large manufacturing occupiers the strategic advice at a portfolio level is globally how can we make the best use of the real estate? Should the manufacturer own or release capital from the real estate where often the parent owns many companies? If ownership is best for a manufacturer how can its real estate be operated safely and be future proofed?"
CBRE operates this model with a number of clients in this space, most recently LKQ, where it announced its role as the firm's strategic partner.
Another key feature Hubbard-Brown says is helping CBRE's strategic occupier partners understand and get the most from all of the data their real estate provides. "The data around health and safety, the environment, facilities management – all of this can lead to a better use of a portfolio."