‘ESG is everywhere—but unfortunately, performance isn’t’ – Opticwise
Week 21: Why Most ESG Strategies Fail Without Infrastructure
In this weekly series, we explore how the commercial real estate industry is being transformed by data and digital infrastructure. Guided by the principles in Peak Property Performance, we unpack a new idea every week to help owners unlock value, reduce risk, and future-proof their portfolios. Learn more about OpticWise and Bill Douglas, the authors of this series.
ESG is everywhere—but unfortunately, performance isn’t.
In recent years, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals have become a boardroom mandate for commercial real estate owners. Investors want to see climate commitments. Tenants want to work and live in green-certified buildings. Regulators are beginning to impose penalties for inaction.
So why are so many ESG initiatives underperforming?
Digital Infrastructure as the Missing Link
The answer lies in the foundation—or lack thereof. Most ESG strategies are layered on top of outdated building systems, siloed operational data, and patchwork technology. You can’t manage what you can’t measure. And you can’t measure what you can’t see.
Without a proper digital foundation, ESG programs become little more than branding exercises. Check-the-box certifications. Disconnected sensors feeding stale dashboards. Energy audits collecting dust.
To move from aspiration to action, owners need to focus on the plumbing—the invisible but essential digital and data infrastructure that makes ESG measurable and actionable.
Andrew Stanton CEO Proptech-PR
New Covent Garden flex workspace launched by Runway East
Runway East Surpasses 100,000 sq. ft. in the West End with new Covent Garden Flagship
Press Release London, October 2025 Runway East has signed a 26,500 sq. ft. flagship at Endeavour House, Shaftesbury Avenue – making the operator one of the largest West End and Midtown flexible workspace providers with over 100,000 sq. ft. across four buildings.
Runway East Covent Garden will offer offices for teams of 4 – 40, as well as a unique ground floor member lounge with industry leading ‘pitch ready’ meeting rooms. The operator has entered into a 15-year agreement, with the site set to open in Q2 2025.
“The West End is famous for its theatrical smash runs – and we’re looking forward to a 15-year hit at Endeavour House”, said Natasha Guerra, Founder and CEO of Runway East. “With our Soho, Wardour Street and Bloomsbury sites full, we’re immensely pleased to build our presence in the West End and Midtown areas”.
“Feedback from our customer surveys has underscored the importance of premium meeting rooms for clients – a need we think is unfulfilled in this area, where professional services and marketing firms really value the experience from our tech-rich spaces” adds Guerra.
Founded in 2014, Runway East is known for hosting some of the UK’s fastest-growing startups and SMEs, as well as established names including Deliveroo, Octopus Energy, Deloitte and Canva. It delivers fully serviced, scale-ready workspaces that pair premium design with a strong sense of community. The company now operates across London, Birmingham, Bristol, Brighton, and Bath, with 14 locations nationwide.
ANALYSIS by Andrew Stanton CEO Proptech-PR
Runway East: The Flexible Workspace Operator Redefining the Mid-Market Segment
Andrew Stanton CEO Proptech-PR
Goodwin advisor on Madison International Realty & Matter Real Estate investment deal
Goodwin’s Real Estate Industry team has advised Madison International Realty Holdings LLC (“MIR”) on its acquisition of a minority stake in Matter Real Estate LLP (“MRE”), a UK-based real estate investment manager with approximately €1 billion in AUM across the UK and Europe. As part of the transaction, MIR acquired a minority economic interest in MRE from an existing investor, alongside a simultaneous minority investment by funds managed by GCM Grosvenor. In addition to the GP stake, MIR also committed LP capital to four of MRE’s co-investment strategies, further deepening its strategic alignment with the platform.
Goodwin was engaged by MIR to advise on the M&A, joint venture and fund investment aspects of the transaction. Given the natural alignment between MIR and GCM Grosvenor, Goodwin also led on the W&I insurance and legal diligence workstreams for both investors.
This was a highly complex, structured transaction involving the establishment of a multi-party joint venture with investment and management stakeholders of varying profiles, plus the navigation of cross-border regulatory and tax considerations.
Ray Fang, Partner in Goodwin’s Real Estate Industry group: “The European GP stakes landscape continues to evolve, with institutional capital increasingly partnering up with specialist real estate managers. Supporting MIR on this strategic investment reflects Goodwin’s depth in navigating complex platform transactions in this space.”
The investment was made by MIR’s Real Estate Growth Platform, which targets strategic capital investments in mid-market, vertically integrated real estate firms. This transaction marks its third investment to date, and second in Europe.
This transaction represents MIR’s first investment with MRE and aligns with its broader strategy of supporting real estate managers at key points of growth. Together with GCM Grosvenor, MIR aims to work with the shareholder group to scale MRE into a leading pan-European living platform, with operations currently spanning the UK, Germany, Denmark, and Sweden, and expansion opportunities being explored in Spain and Finland. MIR has approximately $7 billion in real estate AUM and is a leading provider of secondary liquidity and recapitalisation solutions.
Andrew Stanton CEO Proptech-PR
Andrew Stanton Founder & Editor of 'PROPTECH-X' where his insights, connections, analysis and commentary on proptech and real estate are based on writing 1.3M words annually. Plus meeting 1,000 Proptech founders, critiquing 400 decks and having had 130 clients as CEO of 'PROPTECH-PR', a consultancy for Proptech founders seeking growth and exit strategies. He also acts as an advisory for major global real estate companies on sales, acquisitions, market positioning & operations. With 200K followers & readers, he is the 'Proptech Realestate Influencer.'
- Andrew Stantonhttps://proptech-x.com/author/andrew-stanton/
- Andrew Stantonhttps://proptech-x.com/author/andrew-stanton/
- Andrew Stantonhttps://proptech-x.com/author/andrew-stanton/
- Andrew Stantonhttps://proptech-x.com/author/andrew-stanton/
