CBRE [NYSE: CBRE]

Terri Hudson serves as Senior Director and System Strategy and Planning Lead at CBRE, bringing deep, cross-functional expertise across the full spectrum of corporate real estate. Over the course of her career, she has led initiatives in project and program management, facilities operations, portfolio and workplace strategy and occupancy planning. Having worked on both the service provider and client sides, Hudson has developed a holistic perspective on aligning teams, systems and partners toward shared strategic goals.

Through this article, Hudson shares her personal view on how data-driven strategy and people-centered planning shape the future of healthcare real estate and workplace design. She explores an approach rooted in collaboration, clear frameworks and continuous improvement, showing how lean thinking and full-lifecycle experience help turn strategy into action.

My Approach to Turning Strategy Into Action

I lead through collaboration and strategic thinking.

It’s my belief that when people feel included, it’s easier to build clear frameworks that keep business goals connected to the realities of daily execution.

My experience across the full lifecycle helps me see how ideas play out in practice, so I guide teams toward recommendations that are both ambitious and workable. I rely on open dialogue to keep everyone aligned and accountable, and I encourage teams to take ownership of the solutions they create.

What motivates me is helping people think beyond the moment and shape strategies that position the organization for long-term success.

That focus on the long view fits naturally with a growth mindset, where improvement becomes part of everyday work rather than a reaction to problems. I draw on Lean Six Sigma and similar approaches because they cut through clutter, sharpen processes and encourage decisions grounded in clear evidence. When teams adopt those habits, planning and operations move with more speed and accuracy. The result is a set of processes that scale cleanly, support strategic priorities and give people room to think and perform at a higher level.

A Data-Driven Approach to Modern Healthcare Real Estate

I approach healthcare real estate strategy through two lenses—administrative and clinical optimization—because each has unique drivers and constraints.

Administrative Perspective (Corporate and Support Spaces):

1. Hybrid Work Enablement: We use utilization analytics, space reservation data and scenario modeling to understand how administrative staff are adopting hybrid work. This informs strategies like reducing dedicated desks, increasing shared work points and creating collaboration hubs.

2. Portfolio Right-Sizing: We are developing and leveraging data collection/systems to identify optimization and cost-saving opportunities. With the shift from COVID-era space reductions to bringing employees back on-site, we’re focused on right-sizing the portfolio to support collaboration, flexibility and this new way of working.

Clinical Perspective (Clinic Utilization):

1. Patient Volume and Real Estate Utilization Alignment: We use a clinical utilization analysis model that evaluates clinical volume, exam room counts and key assumptions to calculate conceptual space utilization. This helps clinical operators determine the best use of their facilities and identify opportunities for provider growth or consolidation across service areas.

By combining these perspectives and by leveraging technology integration, we create a holistic strategy that balances cost, efficiency and patient experience—while ensuring adaptability for future workforce and care delivery trends.

Designing Workplaces People Want to Return To

We’re moving beyond occupancy and square footage to focus on experience and outcomes.

To inspire employees to return, I’ve partnered with clients to design spaces that prioritize collaboration, wellness and flexibility—elements employees value most in today’s hybrid environment.

From a measurement standpoint, I’ve seen an introduction of new KPIs such as collaboration density, amenity utilization and employee sentiment scores gathered through surveys and engagement tools. Change management and technology is imperative as success is measured by space adaptability and technology readiness to ensure environments support evolving work patterns.

These qualitative insights, combined with utilization analytics, help us create portfolios that are not only efficient but also compelling destinations for employees.

Let Integrity Set the Pace

My advice is to lead with transparency, collaboration, curiosity and always put people first. Integrity means making decisions that balance business goals with human needs.

When leaders combine empathetic leadership, ethical decision-making, collaborative engagement and continuous learning, they drive operational growth while building trust and resilience across the organization.