Farewell 2020, Hello 2021

Friends, colleagues, and associates,

As what has undoubtedly been one of the most trying years any of us has lived through comes to a close, I'm certain we all have a myriad of things we'd all like to put in the rear view mirror. So rather than take inventory of the challenges we've faced in 2020, I'd like to highlight some of our successes and the many more we will have next year (in keeping with the holiday spirit, of course). Our collective resilience has never been more apparent and I'm confident this will serve us well for years to come.

We made strides in sustainability and witnessed the natural world begin to heal itself, an organic event we've now termed green recovery. At JLL, we committed to partnering with our clients to reduce their emissions across properties we manage by more than 50% per square foot, to reducing our own carbon emissions by 70%, and to achieving net-zero carbon in our buildings by 2030. With many other firms issuing their own ambitious commitments, this momentum will only increase and will propel our progress through the next decade and beyond.

2020 also gave way to a powerful and historic moment for advancing racial equality. Communities across the country and around the world came together to demonstrate allyship and fight racial injustice. While we certainly have more work to do to stamp out racist ideologies and institutions, these incidents have reinvigorated our responsibility to promote change and celebrate diversity. Diversity and inclusion remains an imperative at JLL and we're proud to have been named a 2020 Inclusion Index Company by Diversity Best Practices for the 3rd year in a row.

As we begin to conceptualize a new normal in 2021, ideas like hybrid models, versatile workplaces and human-centricity are at the forefront. This year has shown us that there is no one-size-fits-all measure of productivity and the flexibility many of us have been accorded is likely here to stay. The brilliant researchers at JLL have explored this topic extensively, and laid the groundwork for us to effectively support our clients in the return to work. A post-pandemic future will reward those who are at the leading edge of creating human-centric workplace experiences.

I hope you will all enjoy some well-deserved time off with your families who for many of us, have become coworkers in addition to cohabitants. In a normal year I would be returning to Australia to spend the holidays with my family. Sadly and like many others, due to the immense restrictions in place for traveling I will be remaining in the States, visiting local family and spending the next few weeks reviving my training plan in preparation for a series of Ironman 70.3 races slated for 2021 – a slightly unorthodox application of R&R that nevertheless will allow me to swim, bike or run (weather permitting) into the new year with a renewed sense of purpose and enthusiasm for all that we do.

Best wishes and happy holidays,

Dean