The Halo Effect: Google CFO joins Blackstone board, CBRE digital boss takes on people role and we tackle data ethics head on

It has been a week of people moves and new role updates in the world of tech this week. Top stories on Halo, EG’s tech and innovation platform (www.egi.co.uk/halo) include Google’s CFO joining Blackstone’s board and CBRE’s digital boss taking on a new, people-based role. First up, Blackstone appointed Ruth Porat, chief financial officer of Google and Alphabet, to its board of directors. She joined Google in May 2015 as senior vice president and chief financial officer and took on the role at Alp…

CBRE Group, Inc. Promotes Sandeep Davé to Chief Digital & Technology Officer

CBRE Group, Inc. announced that Sandeep Davé has been promoted to Chief Digital & Technology Officer. In his new role, Mr. Davé will be responsible for all aspects of the company’s technology and digital enablement activities, including those serving clients and CBRE professionals. Mr. Davé previously served as Chief Digital & Technology Officer for CBRE’s Global Workplace Solutions business.

In Silicon Valley, developers bet big on the return to offices

From New York to San Francisco to London and beyond, the cry has gone up in crowded cities: get me out of here! But as the coronavirus reshapes urban life — and prompts businesses to rethink where they want to be — a pair of California real estate investors are pushing what might seem like an unlikely vision for the future.

SevenRooms raises $50M to double down on reservations, ordering and other tools for hospitality businesses

Restaurants, hotels and other public venues where we spend leisure and business time have started to reopen in many parts of the world after a period of going dark to try to slow down the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Now, a startup called SevenRooms, which builds software to help those venues with their guest management, is announcing a growth round of $50 million — to double down on providing tools for venues that now have to handle a whole new layer of management to implement social dis…

The Long, Unhappy History of Working From Home

Real Estate Agents Return to Work as City Reopens

Fillogic To Open Tech-Enabled Micro Distribution Hubs At Select Brookfield Properties, Macerich, And Taubman Properties

Fillogic, the logistics-as-a-service platform for retail, today announced plans to open tech-enabled micro distribution hubs at select major retail properties owned by top-tier mall owners and operators including Brookfield Properties, Macerich, and Taubman. Fillogic’s primary focus is to help retailers improve service levels, reduce costs, and optimize asset utilization through strategically located, mall-based, tech-enabled distribution hubs. Fillogic staff based at each property go to nearby …

Uber Makes Offer to Buy Postmates Delivery Service

The ride-hailing company has been trying to expand its food-delivery business to compensate for the collapse of its main business.

Are Open Offices a COVID Relic?

While open offices are still usable, the ultra-dense benching configurations are dead and at the very least, companies will need to firmly establish a rigorous cleaning schedule and evaluate the HVAC system, says Amy Bradac.

Google acquires smart glasses company North, whose Focals 2.0 won’t ship

Google  confirmed today via blog post that it has acquired Canadian smart glasses company North, which began life as human interface hardware startup Thalmic Labs in 2012. The company didn’t reveal any details about the acquisition, which was first reported to be happening by The Globe and Mail, last week. The blog post is authored by Google’s SVP of Devices & Services Rick Osterloh, which cites North’s “strong technology foundation” as a key driver behind the deal….