Ursula Hartenberger heads up RICS’ strategy on climate change and sustainable development, building on experience in the area of environmental and Corporate Responsibility issues gained within a number of multi-national organisations in the logistics and chemicals sectors. As RICS Global Head of Sustainability and has been instrumental in shaping the organisation’s strategic approach towards sustainable development issues. Ursula is a member of a series of international sustainable development and responsible investment platforms and UN steering groups and has been closely involved in RICS and stakeholder publications and initiatives regarding the business case for sustainability and ethical practices in the built environment and associated investment decision-making. Recently, Ursula initiated and led a joint UN Global Compact and RICS sectoral project with the objective of translating the Compact’s Ten Principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption and the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals for sector stakeholders through a whole life cycle approach. She has been actively driving the work of the UN Environment-led Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction of which she is a founding member and where she is chairing a dedicated work stream on building data and information. In addition, over the years, she has been closely cooperating with the UNEP FI Property Working Group on a number of projects and reports. She is also chair of the Taxonomy Buildings Sector group within the EU Commission’s Technical Expert Group on Sustainable Finance.
