CBRE has taken a bold step to redefine the future of workspaces by hiring former Facebook and Atlassian workplace leader Annie Dean to head a newly launched initiative called the CBRE x Industrious Building Experiences Lab. This innovation lab is focused on transforming the commercial real estate experience, especially in offices, logistics centers, and retail environments, into something more immersive and hospitality-driven. The goal, according to CBRE, is to create “more human-focused, empowering and delightful places to work” that rival the comfort and personalization found in top-tier hotels and restaurants.
Dean, now also serving as CBRE’s Global Chief Strategy Officer for Building Operations and Experience, brings years of experience shaping the future of flexible and hybrid work. At Atlassian, she led the Team Anywhere initiative, guiding workplace strategy and AI research. Previously at Facebook, she served as Director of Remote Work, and earlier co-founded Werk.co, a startup that focused on flexible work solutions. Her appointment signals a strategic shift for CBRE as it looks to evolve beyond traditional property management into creating personalized, tech-enabled workplace experiences.
The new lab will work hand-in-hand with Industrious, the coworking company CBRE acquired earlier this year in a deal valued at $800 million. The goal is to deliver real-world products, not just theoretical concepts, with a data-first approach to workspace design and function. Dean noted that, compared to digital platforms like TikTok that personalize content in seconds, most physical workplaces “know relatively little about you,” highlighting a major gap in how employee experiences are managed in the real world.
By leveraging anonymized data and behavioral analytics, the lab plans to pilot new solutions with select clients by the end of 2025 and aims to release its first marketwide product in the first half of 2026. These innovations will draw on CBRE’s consulting expertise under Lenny Beaudoin and the operations insight of Jamie Hodari, former Industrious CEO and now head of CBRE’s Building Operations and Experiences segment. The vision is to create spaces that can anticipate user needs, foster better collaboration, and ultimately make going to the office feel as intuitive and enjoyable as using your favorite app or checking into a luxury hotel.
The move comes at a critical time as companies rethink the role of physical space in an increasingly hybrid and AI-driven world. CBRE, which employs over 140,000 people globally and has seen a rebound in transaction volume in 2025, is betting that the future of real estate lies not just in location or square footage, but in delivering meaningful, tech-enabled experiences. Dean summarized the urgency and ambition behind the initiative by saying, “When everything is virtual, the real world matters more than ever.”
