PensionDanmark's many years of work with innovative and certified properties has not gone unnoticed. On Tuesday, the CEO of Denmark's largest labour market pension fund was awarded the honorary award for Outstanding Industry Contribution at the IPE Real Estate Global Awards in Milan.

In the motivation, Torben Möger Pedersen's commitment to the development of properties is highlighted as one of several new investment areas for the pension industry.

“Torben has led PensionDanmark since its inception and over three decades the institution has become one of the most important leaders and innovators in the institutional real estate and infrastructure markets in Europe” is the comment from IPE. 

"It is a great honor to be highlighted internationally for our work in the real estate sector. We have a holistic ambition to combine stable returns for the members' pension savings with new standards for climate footprint, resident composition, collaborations, communities and interaction with nature. And with this award, we have very tangible proof that we have made a difference," says CEO Torben Möger Pedersen.

Since 2012, PensionDanmark has worked systematically with DGNB certification of new property investments, and the climate footprint of the portfolio is already in line with the Paris Agreement's climate targets for buildings in 2040.

Through partnerships and strategic innovation, PensionDanmark has created award-winning concepts for, among other things, budget-friendly student housing (Studio[Home]) and community-oriented senior housing (Virke).

Public-private partnerships have also been a major focus of the investments, which include hospitals, courthouses, care centers, educational institutions and a future domicile for the Danish Defence Intelligence Service.

Since PensionDanmark divested the portfolio of residential properties in 2014, self-developed urban areas have been a dedicated focus in investments, which over the coming years will result in new, DGNB-certified neighborhoods with tens of thousands of homes in, among other places, Aarhus, Albertslund, Ballerup, Copenhagen, Køge and Helsingør.

The latest newcomer in the field is a new biodiversity strategy that PensionDanmark launched in 2022, which aims for all new construction and urban development to have a positive impact on nature by 2030 at the latest.

"Building trades make up a significant part of our members, and therefore we are extra motivated to continuously contribute to the development of the industry, where many of our members earn their wages and pension contributions on a daily basis, while also generating growth and employment for the benefit of Denmark," says Torben Möger Pedersen.

Facts about PensionDanmark's property investments

• PensionDanmark's total property investments amount to approx. 4 billion EUR.
• The investments includes commercial properties, housing, hotels, urban areas and retail.
• 43 per cent of the portfolio is DGNB-certified and 44 per cent meets the energy requirements of the EU's taxonomy for sustainable financing.
• The climate footprint of the property portfolio is already in line with the Paris Agreement's climate targets for buildings in 2040.