Since its foundation in 1979, Gmp has successfully navigated a number of crises, including the bursting of the real estate bubble in 2008 and more recently the pandemic. What lessons have you learned from these crises and what is the key to coming through them more or less unscathed?

Our approach has always been based on four key factors: the location of each asset within the city; the quality of those assets; the experience that our clients and their people have with prime assets; and our deep commitment to environmental and social sustainability.

Combining this with a well thought-out leverage strategy, we have proven to be an example of stability in the face of each crisis and emerge relatively unscathed.

Ever since the company was first created, offices have always been your asset class of choice. Initially the office market seemed to be the safer and more stable option compared to the more volatile residential market. With the rise of remote working, are offices still a good investment for the future?

Among other things, the pandemic undoubtedly proved to be a turning point for the office market. More specifically, there are five key aspects that have been affected:

Where: people are divided over whether they still want to be in the city centre.

What: companies are more conscious of the quality of their buildings.

Who: more people are realising that the landlord-tenant relationship is mutually beneficial.

How: ESG has risen to the top of every company's agenda.

These shifts in attitudes have proven that our position was the right one. But the big surprise has definitely been the "why".

Why: remote working has made people question the need for offices and rethink how they are used.

Against this backdrop, renting an office is no longer seen as just another overhead on a company’s balance sheet. It's becoming a strategic tool for attracting talent, building synergies and creating a real sense of belonging.

Gmp is focused on development, investment and managing its own properties, with a particular emphasis on high-quality, sustainable assets. How can the real estate sector contribute to a more sustainable society?

The real estate sector has a crucial role to play in the fight against climate change. Buildings have a huge impact, especially when it comes to energy efficiency. The EU's 2050 targets can only be met by decarbonising our buildings. In Europe, buildings account for 40% of all energy consumption and 36% of greenhouse gas emissions.

In addition to the environmental impact, we also have to consider people's health and well-being, especially since we spend between 80% and 90% of our time indoors. Making buildings more sustainable is all about mitigating climate change and building resilience. The real estate sector can be a real driver for change when it comes to sustainability. It's about designing more efficient, resilient buildings, capable of boosting our health and well-being.

Innovation is one of your key strategic values. How important is integrating technology into your processes and properties, and what changes do you expect to see in this regard over the next few years?

Innovation lies at the heart of everything we do at Gmp.  In fact, the very first beginnings of the company were born out of a drive for innovation. We were ahead of our time in specialising in the prime office sector, a market which was virtually non-existent in the 1970s. A recent example of innovation was the shift in our business approach, which we adopted just before the onset of the pandemic and which stood us in excellent stead to mitigate its impact. We transitioned from the traditional model that had long reigned in the office sector – a more corporate model, built around the client relationship – to one that was more focused on people and their experience.  We adopted a B2C2B approach that puts the client and their experience first. Technology has certainly fuelled the efficiency, productivity, resilience and sustainability of our buildings, through a smartisation process. It facilitates the decision-making process and turns our buildings into immense data sources, meaning we can optimise the way they are used. We have also been trialling AI projects to improve our energy efficiency. Cybersecurity is another major challenge at the moment. We need cutting-edge technological solutions in order to keep our systems, data and facilities secure.

What does CBRE contribute to the real estate sector and what do you value most about the company?

CBRE is the world's leading real estate consultancy firm. They are experts in their field, offer the highest quality of service, and have both a unique insight into market trends and an immense capacity to stay ahead of the curve. Their team of market-leading experts provide invaluable advice when it comes to making key decisions.

What was it about this sector that first attracted you to it and that has led you dedicate so many years of your life to it? How has working in real estate helped you in your personal and professional life?

Having worked in real estate for 30 years, I couldn't imagine working in any other industry.