1. What’s the next big innovation or development in the built environment that you’re most looking forward to?
I am particularly looking forward to innovations in the refurbishment of existing buildings, where I see enormous potential aligned with our principle of only building what is absolutely necessary to minimize resource consumption and ecological impact. The increasing development of serial renovation solutions that improve building quality while reducing construction time, emissions and costs is especially promising. At MOMENI, we are actively investing in these solutions through our Ventures division. A compelling example is our investment in alcemy, a climate tech start-up using AI software to reduce CO2 consumption in cement and concrete production by approximately 40 percent.
Beyond that, I am excited about intelligent building optimization technologies. Our rollout of AI driven building operation optimization across our portfolio has already achieved an average energy consumption reduction of 20 percent. These solutions demonstrate that financial success and ecological responsibility can go hand in hand.
On the office sector specifically, I see tremendous potential in multi space concept development. The office is transforming into a platform for interaction and corporate culture. We design flexible spaces for concentration, communication and creativity – working cafés, fitness areas, outdoor terraces – creating environments that offer significantly more than home offices: inspiration, connection and identity. Crucially, AI and digitalization are enhancing efficiency and resource deployment, not simply reducing floor space. This approach is proving essential in the war for talent, where the quality of the workspace directly impacts recruitment and retention.
2. What have younger team members pushed you to rethink?
First, it was the importance of ESG and the fact that it should not be overlooked in the real estate industry – a lesson that has proven absolutely prescient. When we launched our ESG strategy in 2022, committing to CO2 neutrality by 2025 and establishing science based targets. Now, with our ESG Strategy 2.1 update, we have sharpened our ambitions and adapted our targets to the latest scientific findings and market requirements. Our commitment is unmistakable: ecological and economic sustainability must go hand in hand.
Secondly, it is the openness toward AI and how it can be effectively integrated into daily work – both for operational efficiency and for solving our most pressing sustainability challenges. Younger colleagues have pushed us to invest in AI powered building optimization, intelligent metering systems and data analytics platforms that enable us to make better decisions faster. Our ESG software landscape and smart metering rollouts are direct responses to this openness to innovation. What strikes me most is that younger team members do not see ESG and digital innovation as competing priorities – they see them as integrally connected. They understand that modernizing the real estate industry requires becoming more open to innovation, which is essential for remaining competitive and future proof. This perspective has fundamentally shaped how we structure our business. They also push us to recognize that AI in buildings is not about downsizing – it is about intelligent resource deployment and creating spaces where people genuinely want to work.
3. What’s changed in how you recruit compared to five years ago?
Today, it has become increasingly important that new team members not only bring strong professional expertise but also contribute to team spirit, strong collaboration, and our “MOMENI-DNA” with a very entrepreneurial culture. We look equally for individuals who are passionate about our mission – creating places that positively influence how people work and live, while advancing sustainable development. Experience has shown that employee referral recruiting often leads to the best fit for both the team and the company, because our existing team members identify candidates who genuinely align with our culture of flat hierarchies, open communication and personal entrepreneurship. We value individuals who embrace responsibility, drive innovation and see themselves as part of something larger than individual transactions.
We have also made significant investments in professional development and training. Our culture emphasizes continuous learning – from peer knowledge transfer between generational cohorts to formal ESG training programs. We actively sponsor and mentor talent, particularly addressing the underrepresentation of women in leadership positions through targeted coaching and transparent promotion criteria.
Perhaps most importantly, we now recognize that the quality and location of our offices directly impacts talent acquisition and retention. MOMENI itself exemplifies this – our thoughtfully designed workspaces in prime urban locations with access to public transport, restaurants and cultural offerings are not just nice to have; they are part of our employer brand. We demonstrate daily what we advocate for our clients: that offices featuring high quality design, optimal connectivity and inspiring working environments are essential tools for winning talent and building corporate culture.
4. What would need to change for more women to reach partner level in the built environment industry?
Active sponsorship and mentorship must be systematic, not sporadic; women need visible advocates within leadership who actively sponsor their advancement. Transparent promotion criteria and fair attribution of performance are equally important. The industry has historically lacked transparency in how partnership decisions are made, so clear, written criteria focused on capabilities, contributions and leadership potential can reduce bias, while ensuring that performance credits are not absorbed by more senior colleagues. Reliable working conditions are another key factor: flexible working models and equal parental leave are non negotiable if we want to attract and retain top female talent. The sector must recognize that outstanding professionals have lives beyond the office, and our experience shows that flexible working arrangements can actually enhance performance and retention for women managing multiple responsibilities. In addition, we need a cultural shift in how commitment is defined – measured by results and strategic impact – and more visible role models and explicit targets for women in leadership. At MOMENI, women comprise around 60 percent of our workforce and 17 percent of our executive leadership, and the gender pay gap among real estate managers is about 0.4 percent, which underlines our commitment but also the scale of the remaining task.
5. Which part of your business process do you think AI will struggle to replace?
AI will continue to struggle with – and in my view should not replace – aspects of the business that rely on character, trust and personal judgment. Negotiations, whether with investors, tenants or partners, are fundamentally human and depend heavily on intuition and relationship building; a tenant committing to a ten year lease is not only assessing financial terms, but also our long term reliability and the quality of our partnership. Strategic vision is another area where AI has clear limits. Decisions to pioneer demand side management, to invest in climate tech or to position our offices as active tools in the war for talent are not purely the result of data optimisation, but of a coherent view of where the market is heading. Stakeholder engagement – with communities, investors and employees – likewise depends on empathy and authenticity. Client specific tailoring and the ability to adapt strategies to unique circumstances and emerging opportunities require experienced human judgment. At the same time, AI is transforming how we work within these domains. Our AI driven building optimisation systems take over large parts of the data analysis and prediction, which allows our teams to concentrate on strategic interpretation and implementation. In practice, AI in real estate is not about cutting space or eliminating human contact, but about intelligent resource deployment and creating environments where people genuinely want to work. AI helps optimise energy use, connectivity and efficiency, but the human centred design of places that foster creativity, collaboration and culture remains irreplaceably human.
6. Is decarbonization still worth it?
Yes, absolutely. In the context of the climate crisis, decarbonization is indispensable, both as a moral imperative and as a hard economic reality. For the real estate industry, it is not optional. Regulatory pressures are intensifying – for example, through the European building directive – and properties that fail to adapt face rising compliance and transition risks. At the same time, demand from sophisticated investors, tenants and other stakeholders for sustainable properties in prime locations is growing, so decarbonisation is also a source of opportunity. Our own experience shows that financial success and ecological responsibility can coexist. Properties developed and managed with high sustainability standards tend to attract stronger tenant interest and can support higher values over the asset life cycle, which is why we have aligned our integrated business model – spanning development, investment management, real estate management and ventures – with clear climate targets and our ambition to be CO2 neutral by 2025. ESG compliant offices are increasingly not a cost centre but a strategic advantage. We are seeing a pronounced flight to quality: inefficient, energy weak buildings in peripheral locations are losing acceptance, while demand concentrates on premium locations and assets with superior technical, energetic and spatial quality. In this environment, buildings that meet ambitious ESG standards offer both regulatory security and strategic future proofing. Our AI based operations optimisation, demand side management setups and renewable power sourcing are not symbolic gestures; they deliver measurable reductions in energy use and costs. At the same time, we attach great importance to measurable milestones and transparent reporting – including science based targets, lifecycle carbon accounting, third party ratings such as GRESB and our five star UN PRI rating in 2025 – to ensure that our progress is credible and verifiable.
7. If you could change one deeply rooted practice or mindset in the real estate industry, what would it be and why?
I would fundamentally shift the industry’s relationship with innovation and pilot projects and, closely linked to this, the way we view active asset management as a strategic value creation tool. The reluctance to adopt new technologies and the hesitation to run pilot projects are increasingly costly, especially in a market that is changing structurally. Real estate has been architecturally innovative for centuries, yet operationally and technologically conservative. To remain competitive and future proof, we must become more open to innovation and accept that not every new idea can be perfectly de risked on paper. A broader transformation is needed, from passive holding to active value creation. In the previous cycle, yield compression drove performance and rents were sometimes secondary; today, with higher interest rates, construction costs and yields,
rent has returned to the centre of the business model. Asset managers therefore need a broad toolkit: proactive tenant management and service integration, dynamic rent and capex management, the effective use of digital tools and robust ESG management. In this sense, real estate becomes a service business, where operator concepts with concierge services, quality gastronomy and other amenities create additional revenue streams and stabilise cash flows beyond base rent. Sustainability should be an integral part of design thinking rather than an add on, with lifecycle CO2, circular economy and climate adaptation considerations embedded from the earliest planning phases. The market is clearly polarising, with rising vacancy in weaker segments and increasing scarcity of high quality, ESG compliant space in prime locations. Given that the built environment accounts for a large share of global emissions, our sector cannot avoid change; assets that embrace innovation in sustainability, operations and adaptive design will attract most of the capital and demand over the coming decade. Through MOMENI Ventures and partnerships such as REALYZE, and by testing new technologies in our own assets before scaling them, we aim to help drive this shift. Our integrated model across investment management, development, real estate management and ventures gives us the exact toolkit needed to generate sustainable value in this new market environment, with top quality properties in top locations and excellent active management offering the best conditions for rising rental income over time.
