„Nhood creates new living moods” - interview with Pascal Steens

Pascal Steens, recently recognized as an influencer in the Hungarian real estate environment by Portfolio shares some keynotes on 2021.

What would you like to share with us related to 2021?
2021 represents the creation of our new company, Nhood. Nhood’s mission is to diversify assets, re-generate real estate portfolios and enhance investments in accordance with AFM’s vision and enforce the deep-seated conviction that all real estate projects must have a lasting positive impact in terms of People, Planet and Profit. And another great achievement for all of us in 2021 is the creation of the mRNA-vaccine against Covid 19. Chapeau Professor Karikó Katalin, et merci! (Hats off to Professor Karikó Katalin, and thank you!)

What did 2021 mean for Nhood, what were the main achievements and challenges? 
The creation of the Nhood company is a big achievement. 2021 was successful in boosting the development program of our land portfolio. Our team was very committed. New co-operation announcements were shared in September. Still a big discouragement is the 4th and now even the 5th wave of the virus. Resilience and cohesion of our staff in these challenging times are also big achievements. Turbulences in the transport and building material prices do not help, but we must manage, business as usual, I would say. We did not proceed as wished in the implementation of our solar panel strategy, but 2022 shall see those results, I can confirm. The issue of sustainability is still not given the attention it deserves, which is also an ongoing challenge for our company.

What is your vision for the next years?
My vision is to co-create vibrant, sustainable community spaces on the sites we manage, striving to improve the living environment and provide a more liveable future for next generations. To achieve this, we always look at our projects in terms of the 3Ps: People-Planet-Profit. We believe that only by combining positive social, environmental and economic impacts can we create real value in real estate development.

What are the concrete plans?
We are developing our land portfolio into multi-functional projects to add attractivity to our commercial parks. Our team is focusing on reshaping the vision of our portfolio, the first results of this are already approved. In addition to this, we are working on several innovative projects in Dunakeszi, Kecskemét, Budaörs, Soroksár and Maglód, hopefully we can soon share some more details. We are also deeply involved in CSR projects like the Palánta by Nhood Biofarm, the ground-squirrel reserve in Solymár, or the forest trail around Dunakeszi.