Sustainability

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Sustainability

Tuesday, March 3, 2026 6:00 PM - Wednesday, March 4, 2026 4:00 PM (CST)

Description

Attendance limits: Due to demand and space constraints, no more than two attendees will be allowed per investment manager and no more than one attendee per industry partner. If you are currently not a NAREIM member, please contact meeting host for more information.

DETAILS

Tuesday, March 3
Networking Reception
Location: To Be Announced
Time: 6:00-9:00pm CT

Wednesday, March 4
Meeting
Location: PwC, 835 W 6th St #1600, Austin, TX 78703
Time: 8:00am-4:00pm CT

AGENDA

8:00am Breakfast

8:50am Welcome Comments & Committee Update

Co-Chairs:

Giuliana Kunkel, Vice President, Sustainable Investing, BGO
Cassandra McFadden, Vice President - Global Head of Sustainability, Cortland

NAREIM:

IvyLee Rosario, Head of Programs

8:55am Attendee Introductions
To help facilitate connections, each attendee will be invited to briefly introduce themselves by stating their name and firm.

9:00am From Exposure to Advantage: Embedding Climate Risk Across the Real Estate Investment Lifecycle
Climate risk has transitioned from a mere consideration to a measurable driver of real estate value. This session explores strategies and tools for integrating climate risk into the investments lifecycle, predominantly covering due diligence to asset management. Presenters and attendees will collaboratively examine insurance pricing, regulatory compliance, and climate modeling. Through the sharing of case studies, best practices and lessons learned, the goal of this session is to leave with practical insights for strengthening analytical depth and forward-looking risk integration.

Speakers:

Cassandra McFadden, Vice President - Global Head of Sustainability, Cortland
Allie Blair, Sustainability Associate, Morgan Stanley Real Estate Investing

10:00am Break

10:15am Comparing Decarbonization Playbooks: A Dive into Strategy-Setting, Methodologies & Milestones
As pressure mounts from investors, regulators, and stakeholders, real estate asset managers are moving from high-level climate commitments to execution-ready decarbonization strategies. But the paths they take and constraints they navigate vary. In this session, BGO and Harrison Street will compare their decarbonization playbooks, highlighting how each firm approaches strategy-setting, baselining, and capital allocation. The presenters will discuss the methodologies they use to prioritize assets, align decarbonization with investment strategy and/or investor expectations, and set credible milestones amid data constraints. Attendees will leave with a practical view of what’s working, where approaches diverge, and how asset managers are translating decarbonization goals into disciplined, portfolio-wide execution.

Speakers:

Giuliana Kunkel, Vice President, Sustainable Investing, BGO
Jill Brosig, Senior Managing Director & Chief Impact Officer, Harrison Street Asset Management

11:15am Break

11:30am Data, Infrastructure & Electrification: From Reporting to Operational Action
As sustainability, compliance, and investor reporting requirements expand, real estate owners are increasingly relying on AI and data platforms to manage risk and improve operational performance. This session examines how technology is being used from a business operations perspective—organizing data, improving quality, and turning insights into action—while exploring how these capabilities inform practical electrification strategies amid rising energy costs and grid constraints.

Speakers:

Cyrus Sobhani, Data Engineer, Sustainability, Bridge Investment Group
Brady Mills, Director, Partner Energy
John Forester, Vice President, Energy & Sustainability, The RMR Group

12:30pm Lunch

1:30pm The Great ESG Expansion: What Investors Want
This session will frame the challenge of LP demands growing in breadth of topics and depth of detail for sustainability teams. Through audience polling, we aim to collect "market research" on the nature of this challenge across peers and how others are managing the expectations, as well as offer the forum to raise additional trends and facilitate discussion. The research will serve as a peer resource for internal leverage - whether for structuring their own approach or defending additional resources.

Speakers:

Mona Benisi, Managing Director, Global Head of Sustainability Real Assets, Morgan Stanley Real Estate Investing
Brittany Ryan, Senior Director, Head of Sustainability, Americas, Nuveen Real Estate

2:15pm Break

2:30pm MANAGERS ONLY: Vendor Survey & Reference Book
This workshop-style session invites Managers to share and discuss the wins, losses and lessons learned, as they’ve navigated solving for needs across various areas such as Physical Risk, Transition/Decarb, Utility Data Capture, Renewable Energy Strategies, Proptech Implementation and more. Participants will receive an exclusive deliverable created for and by 2026 NAREIM Sustainability Meeting members.

Moderators: