«What does responsibility mean to me? I can think of two meanings. Firstly, it means standing fully behind all the decisions taken during a project, as well as shouldering the economic, technical, legal and other consequences.
I have only been working for BNP Paribas Real Estate for a year and a half, but as soon as I arrived, I had the very strong feeling that responsibility was a central theme. The first project I took charge of was a project worth hundreds of millions of euros, for a huge international firm.
My superiors pushed me to shoulder the responsibility straight away. I learned a great deal from the experience, which quickly enabled me to become independent. Secondly, in a broader sense, we have a responsibility to civil society and a role in educating our clients about sustainability. Which is not always easy, such as when you have to convince them that 19°C is warm enough for an office in winter ! There is a balance to be found between this educational aspect and the service we have to provide to them.»
Caroline Krief – Schemes Director, Property Development, BNP Paribas Immobilier France