CBRE has appointed Lydia Dutton as director and regional sustainability lead, a new role at the property consultancy.
Lydia will join the firm’s 65-strong ESG Consultancy team and will be based in Birmingham with a national remit. She will be responsible for driving CBRE’s environmental and sustainability agenda in the regions, providing external advisory service for clients.
Lydia has worked for more than 15 years in sustainable real estate. Lydia has amassed considerable experience through consultancy and in-house roles, across sectors including institutional investors, developers and higher education. Lydia also previously co-founded a circular economy tech start up.
Lydia joins from the University of Birmingham, where she was sustainability manager with responsibility for developing ESG strategy. She led the development of the institute’s pathway to net zero and worked across the 34,000 students, 8,000 staff and the estate of more than 200 buildings to embed sustainability within the organisation.
She previously worked for Argent as environment project manager at its King’s Cross scheme. Here Lydia was responsible for identifying and realising opportunities to maximise sustainability thinking, as well as delivery and implementation of environmental planning obligations within a 20-year regeneration programme.
Lydia said: “CBRE has set itself industry-leading net zero targets and I am looking forward to working with the business on this journey. For our clients, the imperative for action is real and the industry is responding, by working collaboratively we can achieve targets and make positive change.”
Will Ventham, head of CBRE’s Birmingham office, said: “Lydia’s appointment is as significant for our own business as it is for our clients’. She will help us deliver on our own ambitious sustainability targets, which means when we advise our clients we can do so from a position of experience and authority – we are not just talking the talk, we are walking the walk.”
Kaela Fenn-Smith, managing director ESG Consultancy, at CBRE added “We are strengthening our team at pace, allowing us to provide a holistic offering to our clients who are looking for best-in-market advice as they navigate sustainability strategies and targets. Lydia has extensive experience in implementing ESG strategies across the property lifecycle and she will be a valuable addition to the team, servicing our clients across the country.”