ATLANTA, Dec. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- For the first time, corporate real estate (CRE) occupiers are speaking with a unified voice on public policy issues and CRE industry practices impacting business and society with the formation of the CoreNet Global Issues Advocacy Focus Group, comprised of the following members:

Focus Group Chair
Jim Scannell, Senior VP, Administrative Services, Travelers Companies, Inc.

Focus Group Members
Rick Cleveland, Managing Director, Cushman & Wakefield
Sabine Heiss, Real Estate Portfolio Manager, CEE, Microsoft
Chris Horblit, President, Fidelity Investments (HQ)
Garry Pellett, Head of Properties, Bank of New Zealand
Marcus Rayner, Managing Principal, Cresa
Robin Ronne, Managing Director, CEO Council, Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance

As part of its new advocacy approach in 2012, CoreNet Global introduced its Industry Leaders Opinion Poll and surveyed more than 200 senior-level CRE executives, who rated the most urgent issues facing the industry. The list starts with the quality of working environments and work experiences, and extends to energy management and conservation.

Soon-to-be-published Position Statements describe the two top issues, working environments and energy management, as "socially responsible corporate practices."

Other issues of importance identified within the poll are existing building retrofits and dispositions, reliable performance metrics to inform the Triple Bottom Line, green location incentives, lease accounting standards, sovereign debt and fiscal instability, global infrastructure upgrades, property taxation, corporate income tax rates, and global regional location incentives. Click here for poll results.

More than half of all trade and professional associations consider advocacy as the most important service to their members, according to the American Society of Association Executives.

"Our added emphasis on issues advocacy sets an important precedent for our industry," said CoreNet Global CEO Angela Cain. "For the first time, corporate occupiers have a voice in the public affairs arena to serve the specific needs of corporate asset managers as they align with the strategic direction and preferences of their companies."

With more than 7,500 members internationally, CoreNet Global is the world's leading professional association for corporate real estate and workplace executives, service providers, and economic developers.

SOURCE CoreNet Global