DWS has announced the appointment of Aleksandra (Sasha) Njagulj as Global Head of ESG for Real Estate, in support of its goal to enhance ESG integration across global real estate portfolios. Based in London, she will report to Todd Henderson, Head of Real Estate, Americas, and Clemens Schaefer, Head of Real Estate, APAC & EMEA.
Njagulj joins DWS as an accomplished ESG expert with over 20 years of practical experience in architectural design, design management and the sustainable built environment. In her previous role with CBRE Global Investors, she was Global Head of ESG with overall responsibility for developing and communicating global sustainability priorities and strategies across all business lines. Prior to this, Njagulj was head of the Sustainability, R&D and Innovation department at Bouygues U.K.
Throughout her career Njagulj has built a reputation both professionally and personally for championing the cause of responsible real estate investment. She received the UK-based edie 2020 Sustainability Leaders Award for Investor of the Year for an ESG programme she designed and delivered for CBRE. In addition, Njagulj was awarded the 2020 GRESB/BREEAM Individual Leadership Award, recognizing strong leadership and commitment in the field of sustainable development. In 2021, Njagulj won the global Future Proof Real Estate Woman Award as a leader in applying digitalization, technology, open innovation and sustainability to create a better built environment.
A qualified architect, Njagulj holds has a Master's degree in Architectural Design from the University of Belgrade; a Master's degree in Sustainability Leadership from the University of Cambridge; is a BRE Academy Fellow, and sits on the INREV ESG Committee and the ULI Sustainability Council.
As a fiduciary partner, DWS remains committed to becoming a leading ESG manager and to providing ESG expertise to enable clients to invest responsibly and in a way that contributes to a sustainable future. DWS was among the early signatories of the United Nations-backed Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) in 2008.
Clemens Schaefer, Head of Real Estate APAC & EMEA said: "We are very excited to appoint Sasha to lead our ESG efforts, her extensive industry achievements will prove integral in the next stage of our ESG journey. She will assume responsibility for further evolving our ESG real estate strategy as a continuation of our goal to achieve best practice globally across our real estate assets and portfolios."
Todd Henderson, Head of Real Estate, Americas concluded: "As a global real estate manager, we believe we have created a solid foundation in factoring ESG principles into our investment process in support of DWS’s firm wide commitment. With the appointment of Sasha, we hope to further elevate our ESG execution capability."
DWS’s real estate platform currently has EUR 16.6 billion in green label real estate assets under management (those with certifications such as LEED, BREEAM, Energy Star, or equivalent). In addition, 15 real estate funds and EUR 36 billion are recognized with Green Stars distinction from GRESB.