Spotlight Interview : Deepki

In our latest Spotlight Interview, we spoke to Jeff Blaylock, Director of Client, UK at Deepki. Jeff shares how Deepki is helping asset owners turn building performance data into financial value, using AI and virtual retrofit technology to prioritise investment and accelerate impact. He highlights the growing convergence of sustainability and financial strategy as climate risk, regulation and asset value pressures reshape decision-making across real estate. "For our clients, sustainability ambitions and managing economic pressures go hand in hand.  Asset owners are under pressure to reduce energy, maintenance, water use and waste costs, while safeguarding or increasing asset value."

Q1. Could you please introduce yourself and share an overview of Deepki?

My name is Jeff Blaylock, Director of Client, UK, at Deepki.  Deepki was founded with a vision to help asset owners and managers understand the energy performance of their buildings, and leverage this data in order to drive financial performance.  Deepki is now the most trusted sustainability platform for real estate, helping asset owners manage risk through data-driven insights, improve the financial performance of assets and comply with sustainability regulations and investor requirements.

Q2. In your view, what are the most important priorities and practical steps for real estate investors and asset managers aiming to improve their portfolio’s sustainability?

The most important priority for real estate investors and asset managers is to understand the performance of their portfolios – which assets are on the path to meeting the objectives of the Paris agreement, and which need significant investment to improve their performance and value.   Most asset owners have a mix of buildings in their portfolio in terms of age and typology, so understanding energy efficiency and carbon footprint, and what needs to be done to improve them, is paramount.  This is becoming more important as regulations tighten, and targets loom large in 2030 and 2050.

By harnessing Deepki’s AI capabilities and virtual retrofit technology, decision makers are able to spend less time collecting data and auditing each asset one by one, and more time on what matters: taking action, delivering impact and creating value.

Q3. How do you balance sustainability ambitions with the economic pressures of today’s real estate market, and what advice would you give to stakeholders navigating this tension?

For our clients, sustainability ambitions and managing economic pressures go hand in hand.  Asset owners are under pressure to reduce energy, maintenance, water use and waste costs, while safeguarding or increasing asset value.  Retrofitting buildings and improving energy performance is a cost-effective path to greater profitability, but external expertise and data-driven technology are vital in prioritizing CapEx investment to ensure the highest ROI.

Q4. From your experience, what lessons have you learned about driving organisational change towards sustainability that leaders in the sector might find valuable?

One of the key lessons is the importance of collaboration across all stakeholders to ensure ROI through the alignment of interests, whether it is operational, financial or sustainability.  They should be incentivised to make changes that create financial benefit and as a result, we are seeing occupiers and owners working more closely together.  Similarly, investors and developers share a common goal: to promote and protect the value of their assets - sustainable assets attract higher asset and rental values. However, for change to happen, there needs to be true dialogue between stakeholders.

Q5. Looking ahead, how do you see sustainability shaping the future of real estate investment and asset management over the next decade and what personally motivates you in this work?

We are seeing growing demand for Deepki’s solutions, and this is being driven by two key factors.  First, the need for improved risk management, as the impact of climate-related risks such as floods, hurricanes and wildfires has resulted in rising insurance costs. This is forcing real estate owners to rethink their resilience strategies for assets in high-risk regions.  The second driver is financial performance and efficiency through cost-savings, while safeguarding or increasing asset value.  As a result, sustainability is now very much a core part of the long-term financial management of commercial real estate businesses.

The real estate sector is the largest contributor to climate change, responsible for over a third of global energy consumption and carbon emissions. We have the capacity to make real estate more sustainable and more profitable through the power of data — and to help the industry tackle this critical challenge.

As climate change increasingly affects the physical and economic value of real estate, the worlds of sustainability and finance are converging. I feel passionately about leveraging this paradigm shift for the benefit of our clients. Real estate asset owners are turning to data-driven insights to mitigate risk, boost financial performance, and meet evolving sustainability regulations and investor expectations. Through actionable, data-backed plans for both transition and adaptation, we empower our clients to achieve meaningful environmental progress—while also unlocking positive financial outcomes. Seeing this change, and hearing from our clients about the impact they are seeing every day is what motivates me. This dynamic is driving Deepki’s continued growth as it leads the charge in addressing the real estate sector’s climate challenge. I’m excited to see where it takes us.