AU [CBR] Government Forum [28 Jul 8.00am]

8.00am

Registrations

8.45am

Welcome

8.50am

Future Focus: From Aspirations to Action in Corporate Real Estate

Dr Kirsten Brown

Corporate real estate is ready to evolve. The question is what’s holding it back and what we do next.

Dr Kirsten Brown brings together insights from industry leaders across Australia, distilled into eight key themes shaping the future of CRE.

From value versus cost and leasing innovation to skills gaps, data literacy, sustainability and collaboration, this session explores the real challenges facing the industry and the practical actions needed to address them.

Kirsten will unpack what it takes to shift from aspiration to implementation, and how CRE can evolve into a more adaptive, connected and strategically influential function.

9.20am

From Compliance to Capability: The Reality of ESG Reporting

Marco Gritti, National Director – ESG, Acumentis

Karlien Bentley, Sustainability Manager, Canberra Airport Group

Moderator – Pratik Shah, Director – Sustainability, Aston Consulting

Sustainability reporting is no longer optional. For many organisations, it is now a legislative requirement.

But beyond compliance lies a bigger question. Are businesses simply meeting obligations, or building the capability to drive long-term value?

This candid panel explores the practical realities of ESG and Net Zero reporting, with a focus on organisations preparing for Group 2 and 3 requirements. Drawing on real-world experience, the discussion will unpack what’s actually happening inside businesses today.

From readiness and resourcing to cost, capability and lessons learned, this session offers an honest, practical perspective on what it takes to move beyond reporting and embed ESG meaningfully within an organisation.

9.50am

Beyond the Physical: Designing for Experience, Inclusion and Neurodiversity

Mat Toniolo, Associate Director – Total Workplace, Cushman & Wakefield

Workplace experience is no longer defined by space alone. As organisations shift from activity-based working to experience based working, the focus is moving towards creating environments that respond to the diverse and deeply personal needs of employees.

This session explores how workplace design can deliver more dynamic, inclusive and accessible experiences. Drawing on research into neuroinclusive design, it examines workplace experience through the lens of eight sensory stimuli, highlighting how different sensory touchpoints can impact individuals in very different ways.

From hypersensitivity to hyposensitivity, the session will unpack how understanding these variations can not only support neurodiverse employees, but enhance the overall experience for all.

10.20am

Morning tea

11.00am

CRE Metrics & Value Creation

Katherine Divett, CEO, Puzzle Partners

The way we think about and measure success in commercial real estate is at an inflection point, yet many organisations are still measuring success using metrics that are no longer serving us well. Landlords focus on asset yield and occupancy, tenants on cost and utilisation, while employees want places which provide autonomy and connection, with little alignment between them.

Katherine will draw on Puzzle Partners’ work with public and private sector organisations across the Australian workplace landscape to challenge these conventions and introduce a new way of thinking about how we might together create value in CRE. She unpacks how different stakeholders define and measure success, where the disconnects lie, and what organisations should be asking instead.

Structured as a guided provocation, the session blends data-led insights with interactive reflection, encouraging attendees to question their own assumptions. It builds toward a practical, actionable framework for aligning metrics across the landlord, tenant and people ecosystem, equipping leaders with the tools to rethink how workplace performance is defined, measured and delivered.

11.30am

The State of the Office: Portfolio Insights from the Front Line

Twelve months into managing some of the country’s most complex government portfolios, what are the people closest to the work actually seeing?

In this panel, representatives from leading property service providers come together to share real-time insights from across federal government portfolios. Moving beyond market commentary, this discussion dives into what’s happening on the ground, how strategies are evolving in practice, and where common challenges and opportunities are emerging.

From shifting utilisation patterns to cross-agency trends and the realities of portfolio optimisation, the session will unpack what’s changed over the past year and what it signals for the future.

Looking ahead, panellists will also explore what the government workplace portfolio could look like by 2030, offering informed perspectives and a few bold predictions along the way.

12.00pm

Managing change while optimising workspace: Reflections from the Dept of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Brisbane

Workplace transformation is rarely just a property challenge. It is a complex balancing act between space, people and continuity. Drawing on a detailed case study supporting DCCEEW through a major workplace transition, this session unpacks how one organisation successfully navigated consolidation, established a new office network, and brought diverse teams together while maintaining day-to-day operations.

Attendees will gain insight into the practical realities of delivering change at scale, from aligning stakeholders to sustaining engagement throughout the process. The session explores how key decisions shaped occupancy outcomes, space utilisation, and overall portfolio performance, offering a clear view of what worked and why.

Grounded in real experience, this is a candid look at the challenges and opportunities within complex property transitions. Attendees will leave with practical ideas for engaging their people, managing competing priorities, and delivering outcomes that balance efficiency with experience.

12.45pm

Closing

1.00pm

Lunch

1.45pm

Event concludes