CBRE alliance director realizes career potential with global client

Savina Nettah is a Regional Alliance Director for CBRE in Asia Pacific. Savina transitioned to CBRE in 2019 when her employer – a multinational Fortune 100 conglomerate with operations in healthcare, aviation, power, and renewable energy – outsourced its real estate operations for the first time and became a client of CBRE.  She joined CBRE as a Global Integrated Facilities Management (IFM) center of excellence (COE). Bringing extensive expertise in facilities management (FM) and facilities operations across a range of businesses and markets, Savina works closely with CBRE’s strategic partners and vendors to deliver the best outcomes for clients. 

Savina shared her experience since joining CBRE and her perspective on what the future holds.  

What was your role before transitioning to CBRE? 

Before I began my life at CBRE Global Workplace Solutions (GWS), I worked for the client in their IFM program. As a governance leader, my role covered the APAC region as well as the Middle East and Africa. In terms of my day-to-day responsibilities, I worked closely with the client’s subcontractors and partners to make sure that service delivery was aligned with the terms of the contract and finances were accurate. It was a varied role and involved financials, operations, escalations, health and safety, as well as security compliance.  

How did you feel when you learned you would be transitioning to CBRE? 

I had worked for my previous employer for 17 years, so when I learned that the company was outsourcing its real estate services to CBRE I was quite apprehensive. My main concerns were moving to the service-provider side and navigating a new company.  

To address this, I had some one-to-one conversations with two or three key people who had originally been on the client side and had since moved over. These discussions really made a difference because I could see firsthand that these people were thriving and enjoying more opportunities for career growth as a result of the transition. The people I spoke to also reassured me that the two companies were closely aligned in terms of their values as well – something I’ve since found to be true. 

My previous role was in a support function, so I was not directly driving growth or generating revenue for the business. At CBRE, I have become a profit creator and so I feel much more highly valued.  

What was your experience like when you started at CBRE? 

My onboarding experience was very smooth because I was already familiar with the portfolio, and I continued working with many of my colleagues, so it didn’t feel like a completely new start. CBRE has a well-developed training and learning platform, so I was able to quickly get up to speed with its systems and tools. I was also encouraged to reach out to people on different accounts and ask questions. I found this informal mentorship invaluable as I moved into this much bigger world of real estate. There’s so much to learn and lots of opportunities to grow your knowledge on the job rather than just through formal training.  

How did outsourcing help your role, team, and the business? 

Once I’d moved over to CBRE, I quickly saw the benefits my previous employer was experiencing in terms of operational consistency. For example, previously, when dealing with multiple providers, systems, and tools it was time-consuming to produce standardized reports. Now we can clearly map all outcomes to KPIs and SLAs using consistent tools across all regions. As a result, the client is seeing a world of difference. All operations reports are now just a click away and we can really drill down into the detail and use that insight to drive continuous improvements.   

How has your career developed since making the move?  

It’s now been three and a half years since I moved to CBRE and, in that time, I’ve held three different roles. I’m now the Regional Alliance Director for the client’s account in the APAC region, which has been a big jump. I went from managing 40 people to 250 and from a budget of $6M to $30M. At first, I was nervous about managing such a large team and filling the shoes of my predecessor, who was very impressive. But I’ve been pleasantly surprised. I’ve grown tremendously as a leader and have received fantastic support both from my team and my peers, both on the account side and from regional functional leaders too.  

I’ve also received lots of leadership training and formal and informal support through some of the committees I belong to. That’s one of the great things about CBRE – we’ve created a network of all the account leaders from across the entire organization that feels like a community. This provides a simple way to mentor people and access invaluable insight and advice yourself. 

What is it like to work for CBRE? 

I would say that CBRE is dynamic and young in spirit. They take employee concerns seriously and address them transparently. It is a very complex organization, but it also has an open, flexible, and dynamic culture. I know first-hand how much importance is placed on employee feedback received through engagement surveys, for example, because I have been involved in using the results to map out action plans that I am then held accountable to.  

Within the framework of the company, you’re able to work in your own style. In short, if you want to grow and expand your career, this is the perfect place for you. 

Looking ahead, what are your plans for the future?  

Looking forward, I want to keep growing within my existing role. But I also know there are lots of opportunities for me here. I could move beyond working on a single account and aim at becoming a function leader or in another role that could help the company achieve its strategic goals. I feel confident that I have the support to go as far as I can.