CEO Today - Europe Awards 2023

that, we share our best examples from across the countries we operate in and show them to our clients wherever they are. There are some streets in Glasgow that have been planted with trees with massive topsoil underneath so that they capture as much water as possible in heavy rain and protect the city from flooding. Then they sweat the water back during hot weather and help cool down the streets. The local authority calls this blue-green infrastructure, and I guess we will see more and more of it in other cities in the future. We have a large real estate development in Geneva which has been designed to capture rainwater before it runs off and creates flooding, with every building equipped with a green rooftop (not simply rooftop gardens - we’re talking here about capturing water when it rains) and sponge gardens. These features will become commonplace in new developments. The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London is not only a great park for visitors, but also a real biodiversity refuge in an urban area. We have many other examples of active green spaces, and we use each of them to show landowners the environmental benefits they can get from nature. Our people are committed to demonstrating the power of nature and, with the acceleration of climate change, our clients are now scrambling to “activate” their green spaces to adapt to it. Many CEOs mention the importance of company culture. How would you describe the culture at Idverde, and how do you ensure it aligns with the company’s mission and values? The culture at Idverde is strong. At its core is autonomy: our countries and their local offices have a high level of autonomy, because the nature of the landscaping projects and services we deliver depends on the local climate and environmental context. Since our people need to adjust to weather conditions constantly, they are very good at taking initiatives to find solutions. And they are passionate about what they do, whether it is about creating a new green space or maintaining it. They treat nature as a living body, which they observe constantly and protect. With their initiative, passion, and commitment to making the most of nature, our almost 10,000 colleagues are genuine environmental protectors for each city or landowner we work for. This aligns very well with the company’s mission and values. What role does innovation play at Idverde? Are there any technological advancements or methods that you’re particularly excited about? Innovation is essential to address the challenges of climate change. For instance, we need to constantly innovate watering tools to deal with periods of water stress whilst protecting green assets. We are moving into precision watering, driven by electronic sensors and new forms of irrigation. We are also starting to monitor each tree for which we have the responsibility via satellite or 3D-lidar images, and we can now calculate the amount of carbon each tree captures using a software created in the US called iTree. Copenhill Copenhagen CEO Today Europe Awards 2023 - FRANCE - - 9 -

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