Q&A with Rigas Malamoutsis, Director, Verte
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What are you looking to get out of the FOOTPRINT+ event?
As an industry we will only meet our net zero targets if we transition our existing assets – which will form 80% of buildings in 2050. Retrofit and refurbishment will play a critical role here. I’m looking forward to connecting with others to understand what more we can do to drive the retrofit agenda forward. This includes applying retrofit solutions to more complex sectors, such as life sciences. If you’re interested in understanding more, join us for the ‘Retrofit challenge for Life Sciences’ session I’ll be chairing.
Why is it important that the UK’s property, planning and sustainability sectors come together at FOOTPRINT+?
The industry is focused on and committed to a net zero future – we now need to accelerate the pace of progress. FOOTPRINT+ presents an opportunity to be a springboard for this, whether that’s participants being inspired by others to further prioritise their decarbonisation strategies – to working together to find solutions to the challenges that are causing transition plans to stall.
What did you hear about / experience at our last year’s event which has made you want to come back?
At Verte we specialise in net zero carbon strategy and delivery, so FOOTPRINT+ is an ideal industry event to be a part of. I enjoyed meeting like-minded people committed to reducing their environmental impact and discovering what different areas of the industry are doing to accelerate the net zero transition.
When you attend FOOTPRINT+ in May 2024 what will you be sharing with conference delegates, policy makers, your partners, and your industry peers?
For assets to remain competitive they must meet increasing investor, occupier and regulatory sustainability requirements – but this is challenging in today’s economic environment. At Verte we work with clients to align assets with ESG targets and improve performance. There’s a lot property owners can do to reduce energy consumption, operational costs and carbon emissions without capital expenditure – and we’ll be sharing our knowledge and experience of this at the event.