RICS Names SREF Global Knowledge Partner to Unite Real Estate Ecosystem

LONDON, March 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- SREF, the global forum and ecosystem founded by Peter Panayi, today announced the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) as its Global Knowledge Partner. The collaboration marks the start of a new initiative centred on uniting world-leading standards and data-led research, with SREF's forum and ecosystem acting as a focal point to drive knowledge sharing across associations, industry bodies and real estate asset and investment organizations. SREF is also the knowledge partner for the RICS flagship event - RICS Built Environment European Summit, which will be held in Athens on 19-20 October 2026. Peter Panayi is a Future Leader Award Winner at UK PropTech Association 2024-2025, who has worked closely with RICS over the past 2 years. Together, RICS and SREF will show how sustainability and profitability enable asset and investment organisations to mitigate their risk.

"RICS is proud to partner with SREF to make standards-aligned research actionable for the entire industry," said Susanne Eickermann-Riepe FRICS, Senior Vice President at RICS. "This collaboration bridges leadership insight with real-world execution."

Uniting the Ecosystem for Actionable Insights

The real estate industry has the potential to post huge efficiency savings, and as such RICS and SREF believe industry bodies and associations must move beyond talking only to their members. To achieve the speed of growth, progress and risk mitigation needed today, real estate companies will benefit from a  united ecosystem that can help organisations find market validation built on real-world case studies, not theory.

"The launch of SREF is timely. Progress depends on better connection: capital and capability; innovation and implementation; data and judgement. A forum like this can help perspectives meet, share what works, and speed up the travel of good evidence. RICS welcomes this initiative," said Gina Ding, RICS Head of Public Affairs Europe.

SREF brings together top executives from asset management, investment firms and the real estate value chain through invite-only, expertise-curated events in London, Paris, New York, Luxembourg, Singapore and Dubai.

These forums produce global studies backed by leading contributors including policymakers, associations and proven industry innovators. They deliver validated case studies that prove real-world impact for sustainable assets and investments. Unlike theoretical research, SREF's case studies empower the market with actionable proof of what works. This helps leaders cut through supplier over-promising, identify proven deliverers, streamline tendering/procurement, and build a trust-based ecosystem of industry peers.

RICS Standards Power SREF Forum

As the Global Knowledge Partner, RICS's  globally-recognised standards, frameworks and thought leadership will be embedded into the SREF forum, ensuring all studies and case studies align with best practice. Aspects such as sustainability, resilient strategies, whole-life carbon and risk mitigation for sustainable assets and investments will be addressed in strategically-structured research and reporting.

Associations, policymakers and contributors can use SREF as a collaboration hub to share research, co-create studies and reach SREF's vast network across asset management and investment sectors.

The partnership between SREF and RICS will help scale institutional-grade intelligence from exclusive C-level insights to accessible, ecosystem-wide action.

Cutting Risk, Driving Performance

SREF's forum and ecosystem provide unmatched access to the wider sustainable asset and investment community, featuring curated events with world-leading speakers and validated outcomes from live projects.

"By partnering with RICS, SREF turns fragmented expertise into a unified force for measurable sustainability and profitability," said Peter Panayi, Founder of SREF. "Our case studies don't just inform—they de-risk decisions and accelerate trust across the ecosystem."

About SREF

SREF is the premier global forum for C-level leaders from real estate, asset management and investment firms backed by some of the world's largest organisations including RICS.

Through invite-only events across London, Paris, New York, Luxembourg, Frankfurt, Singapore and Dubai, SREF delivers authoritative white papers and rigorously validated case studies from top-tier firms. Its studies provide  battle-tested strategies for sustainability, profitability and risk mitigation.

For more information:
Company contact – Sustainable Real Estate Forum:
Enquires: global@sre-forum.com
Website: https://www.sustainablerealestateforum.com 

About RICS

We are RICS. Everything we do is designed to effect positive change in the built and natural environments. Through our respected global standards, leading professional progression and our trusted data and insight, we promote and enforce the highest professional standards in the development and management of land, real estate, construction and infrastructure.

Our work with others provides a foundation for confident markets, pioneers better places to live and work and is a force for positive social impact.

For more information:
Kris Hicks, Global Media Officer
Khicks@rics.org
press@rics.org 

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2934913/RICS_SREF.jpg