GTC has appointed Seweryna Afanasjew as Head of Asset Management in Poland. Her outstanding in-depth sector knowledge coupled with extensive experience in commercial asset management and leasing for investment funds will strengthen GTC’s market position. With Seweryna on board, the company expects the successful growth of its sustainable real estate portfolio in line with the developer’s best ESG practices.

Seweryna Afanasjew has made a name in real estate as a member of the Management Board of the RICS World Europe Board, Chairman of the RICS Poland Board, member of and IFMA Poland and Polish Facility Management Council. Licensed real estate manager and broker, Seweryna has 20 years of experience in commercial real estate, including offices, shopping centers, and warehouses. Her focus area is finding and implementing modern technological solutions for real estate to increase the efficiency of the whole organization, which perfectly fits into GTC’s strategy of developing futureproof sustainable properties with a focus on the wellbeing of its immediate communities.

An expert in corporate real estate and strategic facilities management in large international organizations, Seweryna started her outstanding career in 1999 at Cushman&Wakefield, followed by over 7 years as Real Estate Management Head in Citi Group. Later, Seweryna served as Asset Management Head at several real estate funds and helped build the commercial real estate portfolio of Octava Property Trust while leading their asset management and leasing team. From 2017 Seweryna managed the strategic FM area at Liberty Global as CEE Real Estate Facilities Fleet & Energy Head with 1000 lease agreements and 300,000 sq m of leased space at her disposal. This experience contributed to Seweryna becoming the founder and co-owner of 4 FM, a proptech company, which specializes in creating platforms for strategic facilities management sourcing.

“We welcome Seweryna Afanasjew as our new Head of Asset Management in Poland. In her new role Seweryna will oversee a diverse portfolio of real estate assets and work with third-party management partners to maximize each of our properties’ potential for greater revenue generation, net operating income, capital investment, planning, and asset preservation. I’m sure Seweryna’s deep sector knowledge and impressive experience will help strengthen the relationships with our tenants in Poland and, with their comfort and well-being in mind, bring the quality of our offer to even higher level, especially now, when we are focusing on introducing innovative sustainable solutions and setting for digital transformation in our portfolio” – commented Grzegorz Strutyński, Country Manager at GTC Poland.

Seweryna Afanasjew is a holder of multiple degrees and certificates, such as Digital Transformation from the University of Virginia, Boston Consulting Group, MSc in Property Appraisal and Management at Sheffield Hallam University, and master’s degree in Property Valuation from Warsaw University of Technology. Powered by extensive experience and deep market knowledge, Seweryna is a frequent speaker and lecturer at webinars, conferences, and training courses. She is also an author of many real estate articles and co-author of RICS publications “Real Estate Fund, Asset and Property Management: Investment Services” and “Procurement of Facilities Management”.

GTC has always stayed on top of industry’s mind for its excellent asset management recognized by multiple renowned tenants. Nowadays, with COVID-19 putting additional pressure on property owners and tenants to adapt to ever-changing reality and keeping the consistent service quality and staying open to the dialogue is a must. It is an honour for me to be trusted with such a responsibility – to strengthen GTC’s exceptional reputation and conquer new heights within the asset management area in Poland. I am looking forward to a long and fruitful journey together with GTC, as I believe my experience will help in the realization of the Group’s strategy of developing sustainable buildings and ensuring long-term trust-based relationships with our tenants, based on prioritizing their comfort. Together we can propel the Group’s development strategy towards a steady, long-term growth in Poland” – commented Seweryna Afanasjew, Head of Asset Management at GTC Poland.

GTC pays particular attention to the fostering long-term relationships with its communities in Poland. Care for the communities is manifested at all stages of property development – from choosing a location for new investment, through design and construction, to the asset management and creating service offer of a completed building. In Poland the company strives to improve the quality of every building it develops, including the existing assets, focusing on its tenants’ needs. GTC has been successfully revitalizing long-standing properties in its portfolio, upgrading them with sustainable solutions. For example, since 2021 all of the GTC’s Polish offices are powered by green energy and have environmental certificates, proving their ecological excellence. Apart from that GTC has gained its reputation in Poland for high-quality asset management by maintaining premium quality of common spaces, relaxation and leisure zones with small architecture elements that increase tenants’ wellbeing. More information about GTC’s sustainable asset management practices can be found through the Group’s 2020 ESG report at www.esg.gtc.com.pl/en.