Fit Out Conference 2026 Speaker Kay Killmann on Why ESG Compliance Is No Longer Enough

One of 22 confirmed speakers at the inaugural forum, Killmann will address what the next stage of sustainability looks like for Ireland's fit-out sector in a programme built around the forces reshaping how projects are defined, procured, and delivered. The conference runs from 09:00 to 15:00 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Santry.

For Kay Killmann, Managing Director of GBCI Europe, the conversation around ESG in the built environment is changing, and the sector needs to change with it.

The compliance-led approach that has dominated in recent years is giving way to something more demanding. ESG, he explains, is increasingly being replaced by more precise, performance-led language around climate risk, transition planning, and double materiality. Regulatory developments are accelerating that shift. 

"SFDR 2.0 and the EU Omnibus package are accelerating that move from compliance checkboxes to measurable outcomes and operational performance," he said in a pre-event interview.

For Killmann, this is not a setback but an opportunity. "This reset is a chance to lean on frameworks like LEED that are both credible and commercially meaningful across all real estate assets." 

The argument he brings to the stage on 11 June is one he has been making across European markets for years: sustainability is a value driver, not a compliance exercise.

His appearance in Dublin also carries particular significance for an organisation with GBCI's international reach. "For an international organisation like ours, being in the room with Irish retail and fit-out participants in Dublin is the fastest way to pick up the nuances of the local market in a wider European context — and to build the trust needed." 

The visit follows a GBCI Circle event in Milan in early May, where conversations with luxury retailers touched on many of the same sustainability themes the Fit Out Conference will address.

Killmann will deliver a fifteen-minute presentation titled Beyond Sustainability as part of the afternoon programme, setting the stage for the closing Fit Out Leaders Award Winners Panel. 

Hear more from Killmann and other speakers at the Fit Out Conference 2026 on 11 June at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Santry. 

Visit the official event website to explore the full programme and book your place at fitoutawards.ie/conference/book-your-place.