BuiltWorlds’ 2023 Paris Summit kicked off on Wednesday, June 21, with a series of pre-events followed by the main sessions on June 23. This return to Paris brought together expert AEC perspectives from C-Suite executives and senior leaders from Europe, Africa, and the Middle East all within the three-day summit. The carefully curated environment aims to empower attendees by providing them with valuable insights into the built ecosystems globalization efforts along with strategies to navigate the emerging solutions within the rapidly evolving digital era. The general sessions took place at the Westin Paris Vendôme, with sessions focusing on a range of topics within the AEC ecosystem, specifically within the proximity of Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Following the general programing was a closing reception and dinner that celebrated BuiltWorlds’ 2022 Global Innovators. This list encompasses 50 global AECO organizations that are shaping the future of the built world. Within this piece will be some of the key quotes that occurred within the general sessions of the summit
The Sustainability Imperative
Featuring Speakers: Kati Herzog, Head of ESG, Goldbeck; Mateo Zimmerman, Investment Manager, CEMEX Ventures; and Jean-Christophe Pierron, Co-Founder, Vestack
“We need to think a lot more about circularity. It’s not just about CO2, as we need to be much more efficient with materials. We can’t just bring more material to a site because there will be a lot of waste generated…Regulation is the best driver for innovation because when rules change, everyone has to be more creative to meet them.” Mateo Zimmerman, CEMEX Ventures
Corporate Innovation & the State of CVC
Featuring Speakers: Guillaume Bazouin, Head of Open Innovation & Startups, Leonard by Vinci; Matthieu Horgnies, R&D Specialist/ Startup & Tech Scouting Manager, Holcim; Leonidas Canellopoulous, Chief Sustainability Officer, Titan Cement; and Aref Boualwan, Chief Initiatives & Startups Officer, Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC).
“When it comes to working with startups, you have a lot of semi-isolated players that don’t have the knowledge of the budding startup economy…[Leonard] will help in sourcing companies that are at the right level of maturity and already know how to sell and how to interact with large players.” Guillaume Bazouin, Leonard by Vinci
App Marketplace Evolution: Integrations & Acquisitions
Featuring Speakers: Tony Harbour, Head of Technology Partners EMEA, Procore; Matt Wheelis, SVP Strategy, Build & Construct, Nemetschek Group; and Louis Petros, Head of Alliances & Partnerships, Hiboo
“The collaboration that is at the heart of [IPD agreements] has increased and the willingness to share information has grown. Some efforts to draw in different types of contracts has possibly influenced the behaviors among stakeholders and different parties.” Matt Wheelis, Nemetschek Group
True Disruption: What Will it Look Like and When Will We Get There
Featuring Speakers: Luke Graham, Head of Research, Pi Labs; Alban Mallet, CEO, XtreeE; and Pierre Cordelle, Infrastructure & Cities Strategy Director, Dassault Systemes
“When I think of disruption in the sector, one of the first things when we discuss whether we’re going to make an investment in one of the contech or proptech companies is seeing if this is a disruption of an asset or of the business. There are many technologies and innovations that transcend just our sector which are relevant to an organization.” Luke Graham, Pi Labs
Challenges & Opportunities Building a Global ConTech Company
Featuring Speakers: Juan Nieto, General Partner, Zacua Ventures; Meirav Oren, CEO & Co-Founder, Versatile; Adam Bridgman, General Partner, Ironspring Ventures; Jean-Philippe Panaget, CEO, CAD.42; and Shrikant Sharma, CEO & Founder, SmartVizX
“The industry and jobsites are fragmented by definition, so it’s the power of accurate production data and seamless usage that actually makes a difference and bridges the gaps be it globally or locally. The key is to have very clear value proposition that extends beyond a single user to where you’re actually fixing or bringing together some of that fragmentation.” Meriav Oren, Versatile
Technology & Construction's Changing Workforce
Featuring Speakers: Aldo Sollazzo, Founder & CEO, Noumena; Georgia Stillwell, Manager of Customer Success / Head of Professional Services EMEA, ALICE Technologies; and Zachi Flatto, CEO & Co-Founder, Skyline Cockpit.
“In prefabrication you can start to connect even on the manufacturing level with different mediums of construction that can really thrive at this point when you connect true data and information from design to manufacturing. At this point it also becomes possible to think about a different workforce where the full value of the cycle is maximized by the shift and the movement of the information from the digital to the physical side.” Aldo Sollazzo, Noumena
Challenges & Opportunities in Digital Supply & Manufacturing
Featuring Speakers: Andreas Kronthaler, Corporate Innovation Manager, USG; and Ricardo Rodriguez, Interim Global Head of Digital Marketing, Master Builders Solutions
“We are inherently more aware of our internal inefficiencies and although the internal teams would like to have more innovation that is tied into producing quicker delivery on things, it really revolves around us focusing on the customers needs first.” Ricardo Rodriguez, Master Builder Solutions
The Global Innovators
Featuring Speakers: Hugh McEvoy, Senior Director, Strategy & Business Development, Trimble; Marvin Theissen, Senior Manager Construction, Autodesk; Vincent Maret, Innovation Director, Bouygues; and Tanguy Quero, Investment Principal, JLL Spark
“The main problem is that there are so many things out there that the main thing that you need to do is prioritize. You can bring in a lot of innovative business to the co-business and bring in a lot of good ideas, but you have limited pockets and even if they are deep, they are not endless.” Tanguy Quero, JLL Spark
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