Nazli Dabidian  is a sustainability leader with a multidisciplinary background spanning architecture, engineering, and finance. She currently serves as Director and Net Zero Technical Lead at CBRE, where she helps institutional investors develop and implement technically robust, financially sound net zero strategies.

With over two decades of experience, Nazli has worked across architecture and engineering consultancies, delivering sustainable solutions for complex real estate portfolios. Her career has been shaped by a deep technical foundation in renewable energy and a strong understanding of financial systems—enabling her to bridge the gap between design, performance, and investment outcomes.

In a recent insightful interview, she reflected on the evolution of sustainability in the built environment and the importance of integrated thinking. She emphasised that successful net zero strategies require not only technical excellence but also a deep understanding of financial drivers and stakeholder engagement.

#Shaheen: To start off, could you shed a light on your background and how you came to specialise in net zero carbon strategies within the real estate sector?

#Nazli: My journey into sustainability started back in the late 1990s when I was studying architecture. Environmental design was already part of the curriculum, but the idea of ‘sustainability’ as we know it today wasn’t widely talked about yet. For my dissertation, I explored how to introduce a sustainability assessment tool tailored for the Middle East, so even then, I was looking at how we could apply these ideas more broadly.

After working as an architect for a couple of years, I went on to do an MSc in Renewable Energy at the University of Nottingham. It was a brilliant course and gave me a solid grounding in the technical side of sustainable design. From there, I moved into engineering consultancies, focusing on creating energy-efficient and sustainable buildings -something I’ve been passionate about ever since.

Over the years, I’ve worked with some fantastic clients and been involved in a range of exciting projects. I also completed a Master’s in Finance at LSE because I wanted to better understand the financial side of sustainability, well before sustainable finance became the big topic it is today.

Now, in my role as Director and Net Zero Technical Lead at CBRE, I’m bringing the architecture, engineering, and finance threads together to 

help investors develop net zero strategies that are not only technically robust, but also financially sound and aligned with long-term resilience.

#Shaheen: Why is achieving net zero carbon emissions so critical for the real estate industry, and what are the broader environmental and economic impacts of prioritising this goal?

#Nazli: Getting to net zero is absolutely critical for real estate because our sector contributes close to 40% of global carbon emissions. That includes both how buildings are built (what we call ‘embodied carbon’) and how they’re operated day-to-day, like heating, cooling, and lighting. So, if we’re serious about tackling climate change, real estate has to be part of the solution.

But it’s not just about the environment. It’s also about smart economics. Investors, tenants, and regulators are all putting more pressure on buildings to perform better in terms of energy use and emissions. Buildings that don’t keep up risk losing value or becoming harder to lease and finance. On the flip side, prioritising net zero makes properties more attractive, more efficient, and more resilient over the long term.

In short, this is about reducing our environmental impact and protecting the future value of real estate portfolios. It’s not a choice between the two anymore.

 #Shaheen: In practical terms, what does a credible net zero pathway look like for a real estate portfolio? Are there specific challenges in this sector that make it unique?

#Nazli: When it comes to real estate portfolios, a credible net zero pathway really starts with integrating the key steps such as improving energy efficiency, phasing out fossil fuels, and switching to renewable energy, into each asset’s business plan. That way, you’re making sure that upgrades happen at the right moments, like when equipment reaches the end of its life or during planned refurbishments. Each building gets its own plan, but all roads lead to the overall net zero target for the portfolio.

And with many investors and companies approaching their target dates fast, there’s less room for delay. It’s now critical to make the most of every intervention opportunity. Missing one could mean falling behind schedule or increasing the cost of decarbonisation down the line.

Real estate does have some unique challenges. Properties are all different, but they last a long time, and you often need to keep them running while making upgrades. There are also common issues, like the cost and complexity of replacing gas systems with heat pumps. On top of that, securing credible renewable energy, especially solutions that meet additionality and other standards, isn’t yet as simple as it needs to be. Some really interesting players are emerging in this space, but we’re not there yet in terms of seamless, scalable solutions.

So it’s not just about having a roadmap. It’s about embedding it into the asset lifecycle and being ready to act when the time is right.

#Shaheen: In what ways can events like the Climate Technology Show accelerate decarbonisation efforts within the real estate sector?

#Nazli: Industry events can really move the needle when it comes to decarbonising real estate. One of the biggest challenges we face is that the solutions are often out there—but finding them, understanding them, and knowing how to implement them at scale can be tricky. These kinds of events bring the right people together, such as tech innovators, investors, property professionals, all in one space.

It’s a chance to see what’s actually working, what’s scalable, and what’s still evolving. And because real estate cuts across so many disciplines, whether that be tech, engineering, finance or operations, it’s so helpful to have a space where those conversations can happen in real time.

What’s great is that it’s not just about showcasing new ideas. It’s about speeding up how we adopt them. With the clock ticking on many net zero targets, events like this help make sure we’re not just talking about the ‘what’, but really focusing on the ‘how’ and ‘when’ too.

#Shaheen: Looking ahead, what do you see as the next big steps or trends in the real estate industry to accelerate the transition to net zero? How can stakeholders including real estate leaders make this vision happen?

#Nazli: From an operational perspective, as the grid moves toward more renewables, one of the big challenges is keeping the supply stable. With more suppliers offering dynamic pricing, there’s a big opportunity for buildings to become smarter about how and when they use energy. That’s where battery storage, renewables, and smart control systems come into play.

These technologies aren’t new, but they’ve come a long way. Many now offer short payback times and can be rolled out at scale with less complexity. For real estate leaders, this is about more than just ticking a sustainability box. It’s a chance to reduce emissions and improve returns through smarter energy strategies.

From an embodied carbon perspective, we’re finally seeing real movement. Steel is being decarbonised through electrification, and new solutions are emerging to lower the carbon footprint of concrete. At the same time, circular economy thinking such as reusing materials, designing for disassembly, and reducing waste is starting to gain traction in both design and delivery. After years of slow progress in this area, I think we’re on the verge of a real step change, driven by better materials and a more joined-up approach to how buildings are designed and built.