Cushman & Wakefield Teams Up with Stanford University’s Disruptive Technology and Digital Cities Program

Partnership Explores Disruptive Technologies, Trends and Research Impacting the Commercial Real Estate Industry

SAN FRANCISCO, April 29, 2019 – Cushman & Wakefield is pleased to announce a new partnership with Stanford University’s Disruptive Technology and Digital Cities Program, a collaboration aimed at identifying, developing and launching transformative technologies within the commercial real estate space.

The partnership brings together Stanford’s academic and institutional resources and Cushman & Wakefield’s industry-specific knowledge and expertise. The shared focus will be to assess emerging technologies and societal trends, with the goal of leveraging these findings to develop practical applications in areas such as 3D visual modeling, property valuation, smart building operations and advanced data analytics.

Cushman & Wakefield Americas CEO Shawn Mobley said the partnership with Stanford, one of the world’s leading universities and think tanks, is an important component of the firm’s larger innovation and technology strategy.

“This collaboration with Stanford University underscores Cushman & Wakefield’s commitment to bringing new and cutting-edge technologies and insights to the commercial real estate industry, our people and our clients,” Mobley said.

Michael Steep, Executive Director of the Digital Cities Program and a Stanford Adjunct Professor, added that the partnership will also assist Cushman & Wakefield in identifying emerging technologies that could alter its practices or operating model.

“Cushman & Wakefield will work with the best and brightest Stanford University faculty and Ph.Ds. on a wide variety of projects that will lead to new innovations and best practices across real estate,” Steep said.

As part of the partnership, Cushman & Wakefield leaders will meet regularly with Stanford faculty and staff to discuss program updates and share insights or developments across industries. Cushman & Wakefield will become actively involved in several current research efforts underway within the program, including studies on 3D modeling, advanced materials and mobility.

Existing corporate members of the program include Amazon Web Services, Bechtel, Booz Allen Hamilton, CIBC, Cityzenith, Daikin, Deloitte, Hitachi, Microsoft, Prologis, Royal Bank of Canada and Visa.

The relationship constitutes yet another critical technology partnership for Cushman & Wakefield, which sees partnerships as a key component of its overall technology strategy. Since 2017, the company has engaged in strategic partnerships with startup accelerators and venture capital firms, including MetaProp NYC, Plug and Play and Chicago’s 1871.

“Our investment in technology through partnerships provides us with insights that help us to better advise our clients on how to manage their property,” said Melanie Kirkwood Ruiz, Cushman & Wakefield Americas CIO. “These relationships enable us to use lessons drawn from the best innovators across several disciplines and provide us first hand access to next generation tools designed for the future.”

 About Stanford’s Global Projects Center (GPC)

Stanford’s Global Projects Center Digital Cities research initiative creates a focused research effort. It brings together cross-discipline expertise including data analytics, institutional investment on urban sustainability, and explores how emerging technologies will change the way we think about business model development for government and enterprises engaged in digital cities. Collaboration with corporate affiliates ensures market connection, validation, and new ways of transforming disruption into competitive advantage.

The Stanford GPC Affiliate Program in Digital Cities is one of the first programs of its kind in the United States. Its goal is to fundamentally change the way governments and companies think and operate as the world moves toward truly digitized urban centers – by harnessing focused research, commercial opportunity, and new ways of thinking about governance and sustainability.

For more information, visit the Stanford Engineering Disruptive Technology and Digital Cities Program: https://gpc.stanford.edu/digital-cities-program.

About Cushman & Wakefield

Cushman & Wakefield (NYSE: CWK) is a leading global real estate services firm that delivers exceptional value for real estate occupiers and owners. Cushman & Wakefield is among the largest real estate services firms with approximately 51,000 employees in 400 offices and 70 countries. In 2018, the firm had revenue of $8.2 billion across core services of property, facilities and project management, leasing, capital markets, valuation and other services. To learn more, visit www.cushmanwakefield.com or follow @CushWake on Twitter.