Our Natalia, Senior Asset Manager and Sustainability Lead, on her journey to the Emerald Isle.
I’m part of a team that looks after a commercial property fund at Aviva Life & Pensions Ireland DAC (Aviva).
When people invest in the fund, they’re really investing in the properties that sit behind it. The fund’s performance depends on the returns those properties generate.
My job is to review each property – more than 35 offices, retail units, restaurants, and hotels – to see how we can make them both profitable and sustainable.
On inspirational hours
My dad is the reason I care so much about sustainability.
We spent hours together repairing things instead of throwing them away. He taught me welding. I’d sit with him on Sunday mornings, him with his welding machine and me – six-years-old – trying to copy him.
We’d take glass bottles for recycling together. We lived in a small apartment, but we had a bit of land outside the city where we grew our own fruit and vegetables.
Dad was always finding ways to save and reuse. He wanted the best future for me and my sisters.
I want the same for my son. Making things with your own hands feels different, better, than buying new. You make memories, too. I’ll never forget those times with my dad.
On the importance of independence
My mum passed away when I was two, so it was just me, my dad and three sisters.
We were brought up to be independent. Find a job, look after ourselves, make a good life. Our hometown in Poland was in the post-communist era, and I couldn’t see my future there.
From primary school, I wanted to speak English fluently. For us, speaking English meant opportunity. I hoped to come to England and explore this beautiful country for myself.
When I was 19, my sister’s friend gave me the keys to her house in Ireland for the summer. That’s how I found myself alone in a new country, walking from place to place looking for a job.
I had planned to be a teacher like my dad. But my first job was in real estate and I stuck with it. Now, 15 years later, I have asset management and sustainability qualifications, plus a master's degree in English.
I’ve rebuilt my life here. I have family and friends. I even teach English a little on the side: I tutor my nephews in Poland over Zoom. I’m proud of my son and my career.
On chasing stars
My work at Aviva is meaningful. It feels good to know I’m doing my bit for the planet.
We’re working with waste management companies across our commercial property portfolio to bring in better recycling options.
We’re switching to energy-efficient LED lights to reduce our carbon footprint, and for some sites we buy energy generated from an Irish wind farm.
We’ve installed electric vehicle (EV) chargers at The Globe Retail Park and Blackrock Village.
All of this has helped boost our GRESB rating, a global benchmark for real estate sustainability. Back in 2022, our fund scored one star out of five. Today, it scores four stars, which we’re really proud of.
On cool meters
We’ve installed smart meters, so we can track gas, water, and electricity use at our commercial properties. It’s really cool – I can spot issues from my desk.
One day, I noticed high electricity use at one of our empty properties. The managing agent was sure everything was switched off, but something didn’t add up.
When I visited the property myself, we realised the air-con was still running on a central timer. Without the smart meter data, we’d never have known.
Another time, I got an alert about a spike in water usage. The property manager couldn’t find any leaks, but that was impossible. Then an engineer discovered a constantly running toilet system that was wasting water. Once we knew, it was an easy fix.
On keeping bees
We have beehives at our Blackrock Village and Globe Retail Park properties. When we harvest the honey, we give it away and share why bees are important.
Our beekeeper visited a local school too. He’s incredibly passionate - he talked about why bees are vital for food crops around the world, showed the children the queen bee, and explained her role in the colony.
We choose pollinator-friendly flowers at these properties, like lavender, and add bug hotels and bird houses. We carry out a biodiversity assessment to make sure our land is pollinator friendly.
On giving 100%
My goal is to get our fund to five stars in the GRESB rating. It’ll take a lot of work, but becoming more sustainable and cutting energy use is essential.
Because we’re an Article 8 fund, we have to prove our sustainability efforts. People invest with us expecting more than promises. They expect evidence.
That’s why I give 100% every day. If I do that, I can go to bed with no regrets.
