Spotlight Interview – Roshan Deshmanya | CBRE

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13 November 2020

With the world slowly moving through large social, economic, environmental and technological megatrends, how is the FM industry adapting? We explore this with Roshan Deshmanya, Account Manager at CBRE, who has spent the last eight years leading diverse teams and developing client solutions within the built environment sector.

Deshmanya has been recognised for his thought leadership within the industry and has a keen interest in workplace experience, technology and innovation, and sustainability. We join him to discuss the elements of true leadership, the various changes to FM industry, and get his thoughts on the future of work.

 

Achieving Sustainability Goals

 

“Sustainability is actually where I started my career in the built environment and it’s something I feel passionate about and something I consider before I undertake or engage any piece of work.”, Deshmanya asserts. 

With his passion for creating more sustainable workplaces, he counts leading a corporate real estate firm to achieve its five-year sustainability target, amongst his greatest achievements: “It was very rewarding considering we came in halfway through the period and also good knowing that our consistent hard work saved thousands of tonnes of CO2 emissions.”

In order to support sustainability goals, he breaks down considerations into four key areas of Utilities, Waste, Products and Logistics & Transport, and he expands on these areas within our discussion.

 

Young Leader Award

 

 

2019 saw Deshmanya acknowledged for his thought leadership and contribution to the industry, as he was crowned PFM’s Young Leader of the Year. The YLOTY award, which is judged by members of the Emerging Workplace Leaders forum, acknowledges the talent of the next generation of facilities management professionals. It's a competitive award with a strong nomination list and challenging road to victory. The finalists are put through their paces, with the final round asking them to demonstrate their thought leadership through a presentation at the iconic City Hall overlooking the Thames.

Image courtesy of Emerging Workplace Leaders

 

 

Leading Authentically

 

“Authentic leaders are self-aware, they promote openness and foster an environment of safety and trust, which allows everyone to bring their whole selves to the workplace.”

– Roshan Deshmanya

Account Manager, CBRE

 

Deshmanya advocates an authentic approach to leadership to encourage an honest and open environment. But he highlights that this can be tricky as, although there are great examples of successful leadership skills, you have to discover your own authenticity for yourself.

He also warns of the danger of losing your authenticity as you progress in your career: “It’s funny that something so basic as being yourself starts to become harder as you gain responsibility and scope.” To balance this, he suggests creating mental touchpoints to keep yourself on track, stating, “I’ve created mental touch points, in the course of my daily activities, that remind me of myself and my values so I can reflect on my recent actions and think about how I want to lead in the next part of the day.”

 

Diversity at Board Level Drives Improved Inclusion & Wellbeing Initiatives  

 

Deshmanya believes the FM industry is progressing in the right direction when it comes to diversity, particularly at board level: “In 2020 especially, I’m pleased to be seeing our industry take a much stronger position on diversity – it’s been great to see diversity represented at board level and organisations embracing all individuals regardless of their demographic and celebrate the value their diversity brings to their business and the impact they can create.”

When it comes to inclusion, he advises that, “Everything starts with awareness and education.” And insists that actively listening to your employees is also necessary for ensuring wellbeing: “Within my business unit at CBRE, we’re holding regular engagement check-ins with our teams to ensure we’re doing everything we can as a management team to drive happiness and engagement in the workplace – this has actually led to some interesting wellbeing-related findings.”

 

Watch the Spotlight Interview to Learn More

 

 

 

Image: Roshan Deshmanya, Account Manager at CBRE

Article written by Daisy Miceli | Published 13 November 2020

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