From our Location Strategy Thought Leader Partner, Colliers.

Colliers’ exclusive poll at the 2026 CoreNet Global Summit APAC reveals three key forces redefining corporate real estate (CRE) and the region’s opportunity to lead the transformation.

We surveyed more than 170 senior industry leaders across the Asia Pacific (APAC) region, spanning occupiers, service providers and investors. Our findings reveal three powerful themes showcasing leaders’ readiness to reinvent portfolios, heighten focus on people and deliver innovation at scale. 

Technology and AI: From promise to priority   

Technology has quickly shifted from being a strategic advantage to a business essential. More than half of the respondents (53%) identified AI and automation as the single biggest driver of change over the next three to five years, far outweighing competing influences such as ESG or supply chain transformation.  

Survey responses indicate that data and predictive analytics (22%), together with workplace strategy and experience (22%), represent the biggest opportunities for CRE innovation. This trend signals a a shift from experimentation to execution, as workplaces, data and portfolios increasingly work together.  

What this means: For APAC leaders, the focus is on how quickly, effectively and responsibly AI can be embedded into decision-making, portfolios and day-to-day operations. 

People and workplace: At the centre of strategy   

Shifting workforce demographics and trends ranked high as a key driver of change, reinforcing that real estate decisions are increasingly becoming talent decisions. This is reflected in the emphasis on workplace strategy and experience (22%), outweighing portfolio strategy (17%) as a catalyst with strong potential to transform CRE organisations.  

What this means: In a region defined by diverse labour markets and intense competition for skills, APAC occupiers continue to rethink the role of the workplace, not just as a place to work, but as a platform for culture, collaboration and performance. 

Innovation ambition is high; execution remains a challenge   

Encouragingly, most organisations confirm that they are on the journey. Over 85% of respondents described their organisations as either prepared (36%) or somewhat prepared (49%) to drive innovation, with no respondents indicating they were unprepared. Yet the barriers are real. Time constraints (36%), financial pressures (36%), resistance to change (31%) and legacy systems (29%) emerged as key major obstacles, alongside uncertainty around RoI. Only a quarter of organisations currently have a well-defined, measurable innovation process, highlighting a gap between ambition and delivery.  

What this means: The opportunity lies in closing that gap, as most organisations have a partially defined structure without a consistent process. 

The next phase of CRE leadership  

When asked who will lead the next wave of CRE innovation, technology firms (81%) dominated, followed by financial services (26%), energy sectors (23%) and life sciences (22%), spotlighting the role of data, scale and speed of decision-making. Geographically, Singapore (38%) and India (27%) stand out as the APAC markets best positioned to lead, reflecting a combination of talent, depth, innovation ecosystems and regulatory momentum.  

The time to act is now  

The Colliers APAC poll shows a region that is ready to act. Technology, talent and innovation are converging, creating new opportunities. It's time to move decisively, build clear innovation pathways and translate insight into execution. To learn more about how we are helping organisations navigate and succeed in this next chapter, contact our APAC team. 

Across three regional summits held between September 2025 and March 2026, we crowdsourced responses from more than 1,000 industry professionals, including 154 respondents from EMEA, 677 from North America and 171 from APAC. This diverse sample, spanning portfolio managers, facilities directors, real estate strategists and technology leaders, provides a well-rounded perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing CRE today.  

Uncover more insights from CoreNet Global Summit events across EMEA and North America.