Silviana Petre Badea, Managing Director, JLL Romania
- What was the most challenging thing your company, people, and you, personally, had to face in 2020?
Having to deal with my own concerns about personal and JLL employee health, status of the market, my colleagues’ different levels of concern, the day to day business and client engagement, adjusting to WFH – all at once! First three months were the most difficult.
- What pleasantly surprised you last year? / What are you grateful for?
The solidarity of my team. The way they adapted and responded to changes that kept changing, their capacity to support and help one another and others, the energy that they kept investing in deals and clients in the strangest of times. I am grateful for that, for my family being healthy, for my own personal and professional balance.
- What are your plans and expectations for 2021?
2021 – Sustainability is my goal for 2021. After a year of asking ourselves many more questions about our lives, about the real things that are important for each other, I think we all conclude that the quality of our lives and those of our loved ones should be the main priority for 2021 and also for the coming years. In this respect, I will concentrate my effort, both at home and at the office to achieve this ambition. From the business perspective, we strongly believe that JLL has the skills and knowledge to help clients implement sustainability strategies and, together, build a better tomorrow.
- What do you foresee it will be different this year and what impact it will have on our industry/Romania/your company/your people?
The availability of the COVID-19 vaccine should make 2021 different from 2020. It will give people and businesses the comfort to go back to business as usual, to a more relaxed day to day interaction. However, the trends that were accelerated by the lockdowns like the work from home trend, the reduced business travel, the regionalization of offices will most likely have a long-lasting effect on the way we interact with our working environment and the way our clients interact with the built environment with our support.
- What is your message for the ABSL community?
We all are responsible for what we leave behind for future generations, that’s why I believe that is our duty to be mindful and do the best we can to leave them a planet they can live in and raise their kids in.
My message is “Let’s not forget how the global lockdown allowed the planet to breathe again, wildlife to reclaim some of its natural habitat, you could hear yourself think in a city that is normally too noisy for reflection and let’s do our part to live sustainably, build sustainably, occupy sustainably for a better tomorrow.”.
- What could we do to grow stronger as a community?
To be consistent and relentless.
- A message for ABSL or a suggestion.
Thank you, ABSL. We, at JLL, feel you are a real partner to the community and we really appreciated how you promoted thought leadership, kept the members engaged and provided real support in difficult times.