TORONTO

Oxford Properties Group (“Oxford”), a leading global real estate investor, asset manager and business builder has been named to Fast Company’s prestigious annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies for 2022.

This year’s list honors businesses that are making the biggest impact on their industries and culture as a whole—ultimately thriving in today’s ever-changing world. These companies are creating the future today with some of the most inspiring accomplishments of the 21st century.

Claire Santamaria, Head of Human Resources at Oxford Properties, commented: “We’re proud to be ranked number nine in this year’s list for our corporate social responsibility efforts. At Oxford, our purpose is to create both economic and social value through real estate—ensuring we safeguard the future and create a world of opportunities for our customers, partners, people and the communities in which we serve are all critical parts of that equation.”

Claire McIntyre, SVP & Head of Brand, Marketing and Communications at Oxford Properties, added: “Whether categorized as CSR or ESG, there is no silver bullet to address their challenges. The way we address our commitment to tackling climate change for example, is through the aggregation of multiple opportunities to take a bold, innovative and industry-leading position where we put sustainability at the forefront of our decisions.”

“Socially, our ethos is to ‘show not tell’. Lived from the very top of our organization, we’ve become the first major global real estate company to have women comprise the majority of our global C-Suite, while continuously making strides to enhance representation across our organization full stop. From a governance perspective, we’re investing in a culture where we do the right thing, across the organization, even if it might cost us in the short-term. Why? Because we have made a promise to pay the pensions of approximately 500,000 members in Ontario—nurses, firefighters and municipal workers—and if we fail to operate with a long-term vision, we will have ultimately broken that promise.”

In 2021, Oxford set a new benchmark for gender representation in commercial real estate by becoming the first major global real estate firm to have women comprise the majority of its global C-Suite and leadership team. These talented leaders all developed and were promoted from within the organization organically, each possessing more than 10 year’s tenure at Oxford.

Also in 2021, following a public and industry-leading 2015 sustainability goal to reduce the carbon footprint of its real estate portfolio by 30% by 2025, Oxford successfully reduced its portfolio carbon intensity by 35% from its 2015 benchmark. This impressive reduction was made via a mixture of innovative building design, data analytics and simple human solutions that helped to change customer behaviour.

Fast Company’s editors and writers sought out the most groundbreaking businesses across the globe and industries. They also judged nominations received through their application process.

The World’s Most Innovative Companies is Fast Company’s signature franchise and one of its most highly anticipated editorial efforts of the year. It provides both a snapshot and a road map for the future of innovation across the most dynamic sectors of the economy.

David Lidsky, Deputy Editor at Fast Company, said: “The world’s most innovative companies play an essential role in addressing the most pressing issues facing society, whether they’re fighting climate change by spurring decarbonization efforts, ameliorating the strain on supply chains, or helping us reconnect with one another over shared passions.”