Notice of 2021 Annual Meeting

 of Stockholders

May 19, 2021

10:00 a.m. (Central Time)

www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/CBRE2021

You can attend the Annual Meeting online through our live webcast, vote your shares electronically and submit your questions during the Annual Meeting, by visiting www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/CBRE2021. You will need to have the 16-digit number included on your notice or your proxy card (if you received a printed copy of the proxy materials) to join the Annual Meeting.

AGENDA:

Only stockholders of record as of March 22, 2021 will be entitled to attend and vote at the Annual Meeting and any adjournments or postponements thereof. A list of these stockholders will be open for examination by any stockholder for any purpose germane to the 2021 Annual Meeting for a period of 10 days prior to the 2021 Annual Meeting at our principal executive offices at 2100 McKinney Avenue, Suite 1250, Dallas, Texas 75201 and electronically during the 2021 Annual Meeting at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/CBRE2021.

Please note that if you held common stock on March 22, 2021 in “street name” (that is, through a broker, bank or other nominee), you are considered the “beneficial owner” of those shares. As the beneficial owner of those shares, you have the right to direct your broker, bank or other nominee how to vote your shares. You will receive instructions from your broker, bank or other nominee that you must follow in order to have your shares of common stock voted.

We hope that you can attend the Annual Meeting. Regardless of whether you will attend via our live webcast, please complete and return your proxy so that your shares can be voted at the Annual Meeting in accordance with your instructions.

We are pleased to furnish proxy materials to our stockholders on the internet. We believe that this allows us to provide you with the information that you need while lowering the costs of delivery and reducing the environmental impact of the Annual Meeting.

April 5, 2021

By Order of the Board of Directors

Laurence H. Midler

Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

This Proxy Statement and accompanying proxy card are first being made available on or about April 5, 2021.

References in this Proxy Statement to “CBRE,” “the company,” “we,” “us” or “our” refer to CBRE Group, Inc. and include all of its consolidated subsidiaries, unless otherwise indicated or the context requires otherwise. References to “the Board” refer to our Board of Directors. A copy of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, including financial statements, is being sent simultaneously with this Proxy Statement to each stockholder who requested paper copies of these materials and will also be available at www.proxyvote.com.

We also believe that all of our director nominees have a reputation for honesty and adherence to high ethical standards. Each agreed to be named in this Proxy Statement and to serve if elected.

Our by-laws provide that our Board may not nominate (i) more than one member of the company’s current management to serve on the Board at any one time or (ii) any non-management director for re-election to the Board if that director has completed 12 years of service as an independent member of the Board. Our Board believes that these restrictions contribute to Board stability, vitality and diversity and help ensure that our Board continuously benefits from a balanced mix of perspectives and experiences. Our focus on Board refreshment has resulted in the addition of seven new directors since October 2015.

Our Board seeks directors who represent a mix of backgrounds and experiences that will enhance the quality of our Board’s deliberations and decisions. In nominating candidates, our Board considers a diversified membership in the broadest sense, including persons diverse in experience, gender and ethnicity. Our Board does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, disability or sexual preference. When evaluating candidates, our Board considers whether potential nominees possess integrity, accountability, informed judgment, financial literacy, mature confidence and high-performance standards.

Our Board is especially interested in adding candidates over time who are operating executives (particularly current chief executives or other operating executives of other large public companies) or who have a strong technology background and in both cases a passion for building a transformative business on a global basis. Other factors include having directors with international experience, including knowledge of emerging markets or management of business operations and resources

that are dispersed across a global platform. In addition, a majority of our Board must be independent, consistent with our Corporate Governance Guidelines and New York Stock Exchange, or NYSE, listing standards. Further, at least one member of our Board should have the qualifications and skills necessary to be considered an “Audit Committee Financial Expert” under Section 407 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, as defined by the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC.

The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee of our Board of Directors, or the Governance Committee, is, among other things, responsible for identifying and evaluating potential candidates and recommending candidates to our Board for nomination, as well as performing assessments of the skills and experience needed to properly oversee our interests.

The Governance Committee regularly reviews the composition of our Board and determines whether the addition of directors with particular experience, skills or characteristics would make our Board more effective. When a need arises to fill a vacancy, or it is determined that a director possessing particular experiences, skills or characteristics would make our Board more effective, the Governance Committee conducts targeted efforts to identify and recruit individuals who have the identified qualifications. As a part of the search process, the Governance Committee may consult with other directors and members of our senior management and may also hire a search firm to assist in identifying and evaluating potential candidates.

All potential candidates are interviewed by our CEO, our Board Chair, our Governance Committee Chair and, to the extent practicable, the other members of the Governance Committee, and may be interviewed by other directors and members of senior management as desired and as schedules permit. In addition, the General Counsel reviews a director questionnaire submitted by the candidate, and a background and reference check is conducted as appropriate. The Governance Committee then meets to consider and approve the final candidates, and either makes its recommendation to the Board to fill a vacancy and to add an additional Board member, or recommends a slate

of candidates to the Board for nomination for election to the Board. The selection process for candidates is intended to be flexible, and the Governance Committee, in the exercise of its discretion, may deviate from the selection process when particular circumstances so warrant.

The Governance Committee will also consider candidates recommended to our Board by our stockholders. See “Corporate Governance—Stockholder Recommendations and Nominations of Director Candidates—Stockholder Recommendations” on page 15 for more information.

We believe our director nominees bring a well-rounded variety of experiences, qualifications, attributes and skills, and represent a mix of deep knowledge of the company and fresh perspectives. The director qualifications and demographic matrix below summarizes some of the key attributes that our Board has identified as particularly valuable to the effective oversight of our company and the

execution of our corporate strategy. This director qualifications and demographic matrix is not intended to be an exhaustive list of each of our director nominees’ skills or contributions to the Board. Further information on each director nominee, including some of their specific experience, qualifications, attributes and skills is set forth in the biographies on pages 9 to 12 of this Proxy Statement.

Brandon B. Boze

Age: 40

Director Since: December 2012

Mr. Boze has served as the Independent Chair of our Board since May 2018. He is the President, a Partner and a member of the Management Committee of ValueAct Capital, a privately owned investment firm that he joined in August 2005. Prior to joining ValueAct Capital, Mr. Boze was an investment banker at Lehman Brothers, focused on power utilities and technology mergers and acquisitions.

Qualifications, Attributes, Skills and Experience:

Mr. Boze brings to our Board experience in finance, strategy, mergers and acquisitions and investment business. He serves on the board of directors of Trinity Industries, Inc. and previously served on the board of directors of Valeant Pharmaceuticals International. Mr. Boze holds a B.E. from Vanderbilt University and is a CFA charterholder.

Beth F. Cobert

Age: 62

Director Since: May 2017

Ms. Cobert has served as the Chief Operating Officer of the Markle Foundation, since July 2020 and as the Chief Executive Officer of Skillful, a non-profit initiative of the Markle Foundation that focuses on enabling workers to secure good jobs in the digital economy, since June 2017. She previously served as the Acting Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management from July 2015 to January 2017, and as the Deputy Director for Management of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget from October 2013 to July 2015. From 2001 to October 2013, Ms. Cobert served as a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company, a global business strategy consulting firm. From 1990 to 2001, Ms. Cobert was a Partner at McKinsey & Company. She joined the firm in 1984 as an Associate and served in various leadership roles at McKinsey & Company.

Qualifications, Attributes, Skills and Experience:

Ms. Cobert brings to our Board nearly 30 years of experience as a consultant in business strategy, where she worked with

corporate, non-profit and government entities on key strategic, operational and organizational issues across a range of sectors, including financial services, health care, legal services, real estate and telecommunications. Our Board also benefits from Ms. Cobert’s government service. Ms. Cobert serves on the Board of Trustees of Princeton University and previously served as a member of the board of directors and chair of the United Way of the Bay Area and as a member of the Stanford University Graduate School of Business Advisory Council. Ms. Cobert holds a B.A. from Princeton University and an M.B.A. from Stanford University.

Reginald H. Gilyard

Age: 57

Director Since: November 2018

Mr. Gilyard has served as a Senior Advisor to The Boston Consulting Group, Inc. (BCG), a global management consulting firm, since August 2017. Prior to this role, Mr. Gilyard served as the Dean of The Argyros School of Business and Economics at Chapman University from August 2012 to July 2017. Prior to joining Chapman University, Mr. Gilyard served as Partner and Managing Director at BCG, where he led strategy, M&A and business transformation initiatives for large corporations, from 1996 to 2012. Prior to BCG, he served nine years in the U.S. Air Force and three years in the U.S. Air Force Reserves, rising to Major in the Reserves.

Qualifications, Attributes, Skills and Experience:

Mr. Gilyard brings to our Board more than 20 years of experience developing and implementing successful strategies for Fortune 500 companies, educational institutions and large national foundations. Mr. Gilyard serves on the board of directors of First American Financial Corporation and Realty Income Corporation. He also serves as the Board Chair of Pacific Charter School Development, a real estate development company serving low income families in urban centers across the country. Mr. Gilyard holds a B.S. from the United States Air Force Academy, an M.S. from the United States Air Force Institute of Technology and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Shira D. Goodman

Age: 60

Director Since: May 2019

Ms. Goodman has served as an Advisory Director to Charlesbank Capital Partners, a private equity firm, since January 2019. She previously served as the Chief Executive Officer of Staples, Inc. from September 2016 to January 2018. Ms. Goodman served in roles with increasing responsibility at Staples since joining Staples in 1992, including President and Interim Chief Executive Officer from June 2016 to September 2016, President, North American Operations from January 2016 to June 2016, and President, North American Commercial from February 2014 to June 2016. Prior to that, she served as Executive Vice President of Global Growth from February 2012 to February 2014, Executive Vice President of Human Resources from March 2009 to February 2012, Executive Vice President of Marketing from May 2001 to March 2009, and in various other management positions. Prior to Staples, Ms. Goodman worked at Bain & Company from 1986 to 1992, in project design, client relationships and case team management.

Qualifications, Attributes, Skills and Experience:

Ms. Goodman brings to our Board more than 25 years of experience in business operations, marketing, sales force management, human resources, business growth and distribution logistics. She serves on the board of directors of CarMax, Inc. and Henry Schein, Inc. and previously served on the board of directors of Staples, Inc. and The Stride Rite Corporation. She holds a B.A. from Princeton University, an M.S. in Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a J.D. from Harvard University.

Christopher T. Jenny

Age: 65

Director Since: January 2016

Mr. Jenny has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Jennus Innovation, a business development incubator/accelerator, since February 2021 and as its Chair since January 2018. He previously served as a Senior Advisor to EY-Parthenon from January 2016 to December 2018 and as a Senior Managing Director from August 2014 to December 2015. He previously served as President and Senior Partner with The Parthenon Group LLC, a Boston-based private management consulting firm, from 1995 to 2014 prior to its merger with Ernst & Young in August 2014. Prior to joining The Parthenon Group LLC in 1995, Mr. Jenny was a Partner at Bain & Company, Inc., a global business strategy consulting firm.

Qualifications, Attributes, Skills and Experience:

Mr. Jenny brings to our Board more than 30 years of experience as a consultant in business strategy, and has worked on issues related to business-unit strategy, profit improvement and mergers and acquisitions. He has experience as a senior operating executive and has managed portfolio companies for two of the nation’s leading private-equity firms. He is a member of the board of directors of Jennus Innovation, The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, Mobile Virtual Player and PLT4M. He previously served on the board of directors of Mac-Gray Corporation. Mr. Jenny holds a B.A. from Dartmouth College and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Gerardo I. Lopez

Age: 61

Director Since: October 2015

Mr. Lopez has served as an Operating Partner at Softbank Group, since December 2018. He previously served as an Operating Partner at High Bluff Capital from June 2018 to December 2018. From January 2018 to March 2018, Mr. Lopez served as a Senior Advisor to Extended Stay America, Inc. and its paired-share REIT, ESH Hospitality, Inc. and was its President and Chief Executive Officer from August 2015 to December 2017. Mr. Lopez previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer of AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiary, AMC Entertainment Inc., from March 2009 through August 2015. Prior to that, he was Executive Vice President of Starbucks Coffee Company and President of its Global Consumer Products, Seattle’s Best Coffee and Foodservice divisions from September 2004 to March 2009, and President of the Handleman Entertainment Resources division of Handleman Company from November 2001 to September 2004. Mr. Lopez has also held a variety of executive management positions with International Home Foods, Frito Lay, Pepsi-Cola and the Procter & Gamble Company.

Qualifications, Attributes, Skills and Experience:

Mr. Lopez brings to our Board his skills, knowledge and business leadership as a senior executive at hospitality, entertainment and consumer products companies. He has over 35 years of experience in marketing, sales and operations and management in public and private companies and has public company experience across diverse consumer-focused industries. He serves on the board of directors of Newell Brands and Realty Income Corporation, and previously served on the board of directors of Brinker International, Inc., Extended Stay America, Inc., AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc., Digital Cinema Implementation Partners, National Cinemedia, LLC, Open Road Films, Safeco Insurance, TXU, Inc. and Recreational Equipment, Inc. Mr. Lopez holds a B.A. from George Washington University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Oscar Munoz

Age: 62

Director Since: November 2020

Mr. Munoz has served as the Executive Chair of United Airlines Holdings, Inc., since May 2020. He previously served as its Chief Executive Officer from September 2015 to May 2020 and President from September 2015 to August 2016. Prior to United, Mr. Munoz served as the President and Chief Operating Officer of CSX Corporation, a railroad and intermodal transportation services company, from February 2015 to September 2015, as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of CSX from 2012 to 2015, and as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of CSX from 2003 to 2012.

Qualifications, Attributes, Skills and Experience:

Mr. Munoz brings to our Board his skills, knowledge and business leadership as a senior executive in various financial and strategic capacities at some of the world’s most recognized consumer brands. He has over 30 years of experience in management, finance, accounting and auditing, and has held key executive positions within the telecommunications, beverage and transportation industries. He is a member of the board of directors of United Airlines Holdings, Inc. and Univision Holdings, Inc., and previously served on the board of directors of Continental Airlines, Inc. and CSX Corporation. Mr. Munoz holds a B.S. in business administration from the University of Southern California and an M.B.A. from Pepperdine University.

Robert E. Sulentic

Age: 64

Director Since: December 2012

Mr. Sulentic has been our CEO since December 2012 and President since March 2010. He previously served as the President of our Development Services business from December 2006 to April 2011, as our Chief Financial Officer from March 2009 until March 2010 and as our Group President from July 2009 until March 2010. Mr. Sulentic was a member of our Board and Group President of Development Services, Asia Pacific and Europe, Middle East and Africa from December 2006 through March 2009. He was President and Chief Executive Officer of Trammell Crow Company from October 2000 through our acquisition of that company in December 2006, and prior to that served as its Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from September 1998 to October 2000.

Qualifications, Attributes, Skills and Experience:

Mr. Sulentic brings to our Board a significant operating background in the commercial real estate industry through extensive experience, previously with the Trammell Crow Company before its acquisition by us, and later with the company in his capacities as Group President of several service lines, as our Chief Financial Officer, and currently as our President and CEO. Mr. Sulentic is the Board Chair and a member of the board of directors of CBRE Acquisition Holdings, Inc., a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company we sponsored. He previously served as the Independent Board Chair and member of the board of directors of Staples, Inc., and previously served on the board of directors of Trammell Crow Company from December 1997 through December 2006, including as its Chair from May 2002 through December 2006. Mr. Sulentic holds a B.A. from Iowa State University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Laura D. Tyson

Age: 73

Director Since: March 2010

Dr. Tyson has been a Distinguished Professor of the Graduate School, Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley, since July 2016. She served as the Faculty Director of the Haas School of Business’s Institute for Business and Social Impact (IBSI) from July 2013 to 2019 and as Interim Faculty Director of IBSI from 2019 to 2020. In 2019, Dr. Tyson was the Richard C. Holbrooke Fellow at the American Academy in Berlin. Dr. Tyson was previously Dean of the London Business School from January 2002 to December 2006 and Dean of the Haas School of Business from July 1998 to December 2001, and was Professor of Business Administration and Economics there from 1992 to 2016. She was a member of President Clinton’s cabinet from 1993 through 1996. During that time, she served as the Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) from January 1993 to February 1995 and was the first woman to Chair the CEA. From February 1995 to December 1996, Dr. Tyson served as the Director of the National Economic Council.

Qualifications, Attributes, Skills and Experience:

Dr. Tyson brings experience from serving on the boards of directors of complex global organizations, and is a noted economist who brings experience in government and broad knowledge of macroeconomics and international economic issues to our Board. She is the co-chair of the California Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors and serves on French President Emmanuel Macron’s Commission d’experts sur les grand défis économiques. Dr. Tyson served as a member of President Obama’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board from 2009 through 2011, as a member of President Obama’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness from 2011 through 2012, and as a member of the U.S. State Department Foreign Affairs Policy Board from 2011 through 2013. She serves on the board of directors of Lexmark International, Inc. and APEX Swiss Holdings SARL. She also serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Blum Center for Developing Economies at the University of California, Berkeley and serves on the board of the Opportunity Institute. She previously served on the board of directors of AT&T, Inc., Eastman Kodak Company, Morgan Stanley and Silver Spring Networks, Inc. Dr. Tyson holds a B.A. from Smith College and a Ph.D. in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Sanjiv Yajnik

Age: 64

Director Since: November 2017

Mr. Yajnik has been the President of Capital One Financial Services, a division of Capital One, since June 2009. He is also President and Director of Capital One National Association, one of Capital One’s two national bank subsidiaries, and serves on Capital One’s Executive Committee. In addition, Mr. Yajnik oversees Capital One’s community relations throughout Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana as President of the company’s South-Central Region. Since joining Capital One in 1998, he has held a number of senior leadership positions in Europe, Canada and the United States. Prior to Capital One, he held leadership positions at PepsiCo and Circuit City and was a Chief Engineer for Mobil Oil Corporation’s shipping business. He is the Chair of the Dallas Symphony Association, and leads the Board of Governors in overseeing the direction and governance for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.

Qualifications, Attributes, Skills and Experience:

Mr. Yajnik brings to our board his broad business background and his experience in leading the transformation of a large, service-oriented global organization through technology enablement. He has spent the past two decades in financial services, with a wide range of experience in the U.S and international markets. Mr. Yajnik previously served as Chair of the Texas Economic Development Corporation. He received an M.B.A. with honors from the University of Western Ontario, Canada, and completed the Executive Management Program at Stanford University. He is a medalist Chartered Engineer (I), and graduated with distinction from the Marine Engineering Research Institute, India.

We are governed by a Board and committees of the Board that meet several times throughout the year, and we are committed to maintaining the highest standards of business conduct and corporate governance. Governance is a continuous focus for us, starting with our Board and

extending to management and our employees. Our Board has also established Corporate Governance Guidelines that provide a framework for the effective governance of the company.

The Governance Committee identifies and evaluates potential candidates and recommends candidates to our Board for nomination. For greater detail about the criteria for director

candidates and the nomination process, see “Proposal 1—Elect Directors—Director Nomination Criteria: Qualifications, Skills and Experience” on page 7.

Stockholder Recommendations

If you are a stockholder who would like to recommend a candidate for our Governance Committee to consider for possible inclusion in our 2022 proxy statement, you must send notice to Laurence H. Midler, Secretary, CBRE Group, Inc., 2100 McKinney Avenue, Suite 1250, Dallas, Texas 75201, by registered, certified or express mail, and provide him with a brief biographical sketch of the recommended candidate, a document indicating the recommended candidate’s willingness to serve if elected, and evidence of your stock ownership. The Governance Committee or its chair will then consider the recommended director candidate in accordance with the criteria for director selection described under “Proposal 1—Elect Directors—Director Nomination Criteria: Qualifications, Skills and Experience” on page 7.

Stockholder Nominations

Our “proxy access” by-laws allow stockholders to submit director nominations to be included in our proxy materials. A stockholder who wishes to nominate a candidate and have that candidate included in our proxy materials through proxy access must follow the procedures described in Article I, Section 12 of our by-laws. See “Submission of Stockholder Proposals and Board Nominees—Stockholder Director Nominations for Inclusion in the 2022 Proxy Statement” on page 25 for additional details. In addition, our by-laws also allow stockholders to nominate one or more persons for election as directors outside of the proxy access process described above. See “Submission of Stockholder Proposals and Board Nominees” on page 25 for further information.

Pursuant to our Board’s Corporate Governance Guidelines and the listing standards of the NYSE, our Board must consist of a majority of independent directors. In addition, all members of the Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and Governance Committee must be independent directors as defined by our Corporate Governance Guidelines and NYSE listing standards. Members of the Compensation Committee must also meet applicable NYSE independence requirements for compensation committee members, and members of the Audit Committee must further satisfy a separate SEC independence requirement, which generally provides that they may not (i) accept directly or indirectly any consulting, advisory or other compensatory fee from us or any of our subsidiaries, other than their compensation as directors or members of the Audit Committee or any other committees of our Board or (ii) be an affiliated person of ours.

Our Board regularly conducts a review of possible conflicts of interest and related-party transactions through the use of questionnaires, director self-reporting and diligence conducted by management. This review includes consideration of any investments and agreements between directors and their related persons and the company, including those described under “Related-Party Transactions” in this Proxy Statement, and such person’s beneficial ownership of our securities. The Board has determined that 90% of our director nominees (all except for Mr. Sulentic) are independent in accordance with NYSE listing standards and our Board’s Categorical Independence Standards that it has adopted relating to our director independence. These Categorical Independence Standards are posted on the Corporate Governance section of the Investor Relations page on our website at www.cbre.com.

Our non-management directors meet in executive session without management present each time the full Board convenes for a regularly scheduled meeting. If our Board convenes for a special meeting, the non-management

directors will meet in executive session if circumstances warrant. The Chair of our Board is a non-management director that presides over executive sessions of our Board.

In uncontested elections, directors are elected by a “majority vote” requirement. Under this requirement, in order for a nominee to be elected in an uncontested election, the nominee must receive the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast in his or her election (i.e., votes cast “FOR” a nominee must exceed votes cast as “AGAINST”). Votes to “ABSTAIN” with respect to a nominee and broker non-votes

are not considered votes cast, and so will not affect the outcome of the nominee’s election.

The company maintains a plurality vote standard in contested director elections, where the number of nominees exceeds the number of directors to be elected.

Our Board’s Corporate Governance Guidelines require that directors tender their resignation upon a change of their employment. The Governance Committee will then consider whether the change in employment has any bearing on the

director’s ability to serve on our Board, our Board’s goals regarding Board composition or any other factors considered appropriate and relevant. Our Board will then determine whether to accept or reject the tendered resignation.

Under our by-laws, the Board may not nominate any non-management director for re-election to the Board if that director has completed 12 years of service as an independent member of the Board on or prior to the date of election to

which such nomination relates. No exemptions are permitted. The Board believes that this restriction contributes to Board stability and vitality.

Our Board currently consists of 12 directors, 10 of whom have been nominated for re-election. As previously noted, Messrs. Feeny and Wirta currently serve on our Board, but will not stand for re-election due to our term limit restrictions and will retire from our Board following the expiration of their current terms at the Annual Meeting.

All of our directors are elected at each annual meeting of stockholders and hold office until the next election. Our Board has authority under our by-laws to fill vacancies and to increase or, upon the occurrence of a vacancy, decrease its size between annual meetings of stockholders.

The Board has determined that it is in the best interests of the company and its stockholders that the size of the Board be

reduced to 10 members effective as of the date of the Annual Meeting.

Since 2001, we have separated the roles of CEO and Chair of the Board in recognition of the differences between the two positions. Our CEO is responsible for setting the strategic direction and overseeing the day-to-day leadership and performance of the company. The Chair of our Board, who is independent of management, provides oversight and guidance to our CEO. Although it has been our longstanding policy to have an independent Board Chair, we amended our by-laws in 2015 to require that the Board Chair be an independent director.

Oversight of Risk

•  The Board oversees risk management.

• Board committees, which meet regularly and report back to the full Board, play significant roles in carrying out our Board’s risk oversight function.

• Company management is charged with managing risk through rigorous risk mitigation activities and strong internal controls.

Our Board regularly reviews information regarding our most significant strategic, operational, financial and compliance risks and is responsible for ensuring that the company has crisis management and business continuity plans in place to deal with potential crises. Our Board maintains direct oversight over our enterprise risk management process rather than delegating this function to a Board or management committee.

We maintain an executive risk committee chaired by our Chief Risk Officer and consisting of senior executives representing a cross-section of our lines of business, operational areas and geographic regions who are responsible for identifying, assessing and managing our most significant risks. Multiple times during the year, our Chief Risk Officer provides a detailed presentation on identified significant risks to the Board or a committee of the Board. Certain risks that are determined to be best managed directly by the Board versus management or that are in areas specific to a particular Board committee expertise are monitored and overseen at the Board or committee level as appropriate.

Although each committee is responsible for evaluating certain risks and overseeing the management of such risks, the entire Board is regularly informed through committee chair reports about such risks. These reports are presented at every regularly scheduled Board meeting.

We have assembled a cross-disciplinary crisis management team, which includes all our executive officers, for the continuous monitoring of the rapidly evolving situation involving the coronavirus pandemic and timely implementation of measures to help support safe and continuous operations. The health, safety and well-being of our people and the communities in which we live and work is paramount, and we are committed to being a responsible

corporate citizen during this time of unprecedented crisis. Over the course of 2020, our Board was actively engaged with management in monitoring the severe market developments and other effects of the coronavirus outbreak, and management was in regular communication with the Board about the assessment and management of the significant risks to the company and impact on our business.

Information and cyber security are critical components of our risk management program. The Audit Committee receives regular, quarterly reports on these matters from our Chief Digital & Technology Officer and our Chief Information

Officer, including on the status of projects to strengthen the company’s security systems and improve cyber readiness, as well as on existing and emerging threat landscapes.

Our Board reviews management succession and development plans with the CEO on at least an annual basis, and as-needed throughout the year. These plans include CEO succession in

the event of an emergency or retirement, as well as the succession plans for the CEO’s direct reports and other employees critical to our continued operations and success.

Our Board held seven meetings during fiscal year 2020 to review significant developments, engage in strategic planning and act on matters requiring Board approval. In 2020, each incumbent director attended at least 75% of our Board meetings and meetings of committees on which he or she served (taken in the aggregate) during the period that he or she served thereon.

Our Board currently has four standing committees that met or acted by written consent during fiscal year 2020: the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee, the Governance Committee and the Executive Committee.

Each committee (other than the Executive Committee) is composed entirely of directors whom our Board has determined to be independent under current NYSE standards. Each committee operates under a charter approved by our Board that sets out the purposes and responsibilities of the committee and that are published in the Corporate Governance section of the Investor Relations page on our website at www.cbre.com. In accordance with our Board’s Corporate Governance Guidelines, our Board and each of the Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and Governance Committee conducts an annual performance self-assessment with the purpose of increasing the effectiveness of our Board and its committees. The responsibilities of all of our Board committees are described below.

Audit Committee—The Audit Committee provides oversight of our accounting and financial reporting and disclosure processes; the adequacy of the systems of disclosure and internal control established by management; our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements; risk oversight and management generally; and the audit of our financial statements. Among other things, the Audit Committee: (i) retains, compensates, oversees and terminates the independent auditor and evaluates its qualifications, independence and performance; (ii) pre-approves all audit and any non-audit services performed by the independent auditor; (iii) reviews the results of the independent audit and internal audits as well as reports from our Chief Financial Officer, our Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer, our Senior Vice President, Risk and Assurance, our Chief Digital &

Technology Officer and our General Counsel and Chief Risk Officer; (iv) reviews the independent auditor’s report describing our internal quality-control procedures and any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality-control review or any inquiry by governmental authorities; (v) in consultation with the independent auditor, management and internal auditors, reviews the integrity of our internal and external financial reporting processes; (vi) reviews financial statements and releases and guidance provided to analysts and rating agencies; (vii) reviews the Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer’s report on the effectiveness of our compliance with applicable ethical, legal, and regulatory requirements; (viii) reviews our cybersecurity readiness and other policies and procedures related to data governance; and (ix) establishes procedures to handle complaints regarding accounting, internal controls or auditing matters.

All of the members of the Audit Committee are independent within the meaning of SEC regulations, the listing standards of the NYSE and our Board’s Corporate Governance Guidelines. Our Board has determined that each member of the Audit Committee is financially literate as required under NYSE rules. Our Board has also determined that each of Dr. Tyson and Messrs. Feeny, Jenny and Yajnik meets the qualifications of an “audit committee financial expert” in accordance with SEC rules and that they have the requisite accounting, related financial management and/or other relevant expertise, as described under “Proposal 1—Elect Directors” beginning on page 7.

Compensation Committee—The Compensation Committee oversees the development and administration of our executive compensation policies, plans and programs, including reviewing and approving compensation of our executive officers and any compensation contracts or arrangements with our executive officers. In addition, the Compensation Committee reviews the performance of our executive officers, including our CEO. Each of the members of the Compensation Committee qualifies as a “non-employee director” within the meaning of Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, and as an “outside director” for purposes of Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code, and each of them is also independent within the meaning of the listing standards and rules of the NYSE applicable to members of compensation committees. For additional information on the responsibilities and activities of the Compensation Committee, including the Compensation Committee’s processes for determining executive compensation, see the “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” section of this Proxy Statement beginning on page 31.

Governance Committee—The Governance Committee oversees our Board’s corporate governance procedures and practices, including the recommendations of individuals for service on our Board and recommendations to our Board regarding corporate governance matters and practices, including as to director compensation and directors’ and officers’ liability insurance. In addition, the Governance Committee consults with our CEO regarding management succession planning. All of the members of the Governance Committee are independent within the meaning of the listing standards and rules of the NYSE.

Executive Committee—The Executive Committee implements policy decisions of our Board and is authorized to act on our Board’s behalf between meetings of our Board, including by approving certain transactions within dollar thresholds established by our Board. The Executive Committee also engages in the periodic review of our balance sheet management, borrowings and capital markets activities.

Our director compensation policy provides for the following annual compensation for each of our non-employee directors:

In all cases, our non-employee directors may elect to receive shares of our common stock in lieu of cash payments (in like amounts). Non-employee directors who are appointed or elected off-cycle (i.e., outside an annual meeting) receive a pro rata portion of their cash retainer and restricted stock unit grant based on the length of their service until the next annual meeting.

Our non-employee directors are eligible to defer their compensation through our Deferred Compensation Plan, as described under “Executive Compensation—Summary of Plans, Programs and Agreements—Deferred Compensation Plan” on page 58. We also reimburse our non-employee directors for all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in the performance of their duties as directors. Employee

directors do not receive any fees for attendance at meetings or for their service on our Board.

Our Board has also adopted stock ownership requirements that are applicable to non-employee directors. A description of these stock ownership requirements can be found under “Stock Ownership Requirements” on page 23.

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, our Board determined that each director serving on the Board would forego 50% of his or her 2020 restricted stock unit grant.

Our Board has adopted a Standards of Business Conduct applicable to all directors, officers and employees that set forth our corporate values and ethical standards, including our commitment to respect, integrity, service and excellence. We are firmly committed to conducting business with the highest integrity and in compliance with the letter and spirit of the law. In addition, our Board has adopted Corporate Governance Guidelines, which set forth a framework within which our Board, assisted by its committees, directs our affairs.

Other key governance policies include:

Current copies of our Board’s Standards of Business Conduct, Corporate Governance Guidelines, Policy Regarding Transactions with Interested Parties and Corporate Opportunities, Whistleblower Policy, Equity Award Policy and Anti-Corruption Policy are available on our website and in print upon written request to our Investor Relations Department at CBRE Group, Inc., 2100 McKinney Avenue, Suite 1250, Dallas, Texas 75201 or by email at investorrelations@cbre.com. If the Board grants any waivers from the Board’s Standards of Business Conduct to any of our directors or executive officers, or if we amend such policies, we will, if required, disclose these matters through the Investor Relations section of our website on a timely basis.

In order to align the interests of our Board members and executives with the interests of our stockholders, our Board has adopted stock ownership requirements for non-employee directors, and the Compensation Committee has adopted executive officer stock ownership requirements that are applicable to all of our Section 16 officers.

Non-Employee Directors. Each non-employee director has a target minimum common stock ownership requirement of five times the value of the annual stock grants made by us to the non-employee director pursuant to our then current director compensation plan. If at any time the target common stock ownership requirement is not satisfied, the director must retain the shares remaining after payment of taxes and exercise price upon exercise of stock options, the vesting of restricted stock or the settlement of vested restricted stock units, as applicable. Shares that count toward compliance with the requirements include: shares owned outright by the director (either directly or beneficially, e.g., through a family trust); and shares issued upon the settlement of vested restricted stock units. Shares that do not count toward achievement of the requirements include: (i) shares held by mutual or hedge funds in which the non-employee director is a general partner, limited partner or investor; (ii) unexercised outstanding stock options (whether or not vested); (iii) unvested/unearned restricted stock units or restricted

stock; and (iv) shares transferred to a non-employee director’s employer pursuant to such employer’s policies.

Executive Officers. Depending on their positions, our executive officers have a target minimum common stock ownership requirement of two to five times their annual base salary. The CEO’s target minimum ownership requirement is five times his annual base salary, and the target minimum ownership requirement for our other named executive officers for 2020 is three times their annual base salary. If at any time an executive officer’s equity holdings do not satisfy these target minimum ownership requirements, depending on his or her position, the executive must retain 100% (for our CEO) or 75% (for our other named executive officers) of the shares remaining after payment of taxes and exercise price upon the exercise of stock options or upon the vesting of restricted stock or the settlement of vested restricted stock units, as applicable. Shares that count toward compliance with the requirements include: shares owned outright (either directly or indirectly); shares issued upon the settlement of vested restricted stock units; and allocated shares in other company benefit plans. Unexercised outstanding stock options (whether or not vested) and unvested/unearned restricted stock and restricted stock units do not count toward compliance with the requirements.

We are determined to set the pace for our sector on key environmental and social topics. To lead our corporate effort, we created the role of Chief Responsibility Officer, a senior executive-level position reporting directly to our Chief Executive Officer.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (“DE&I”)

The events of the past year have strengthened our resolve to accelerate our measurable progress in advancing diversity,

equity and inclusion. To drive greater impact, we added “equity” to our diversity and inclusion strategy. This addition signifies our expanded commitment to identify and eliminate barriers that could prevent the full participation of any groups or individuals. To speed up our pace of change, we also refined our DE&I strategy to focus more on impact and outcomes for measurable progress. One notable commitment is the use of our supply chain to advance diversity by spending $1 billion with minority and women-owned businesses in 2021 and to grow this spend to $3 billion

annually by 2025. Accelerating our progress with recruiting and developing diverse team members remains a core focus. In addition, we have incorporated strategic objectives for diversity and inclusion into our senior executives’ go-forward compensation structures for fiscal 2021.

Commitment to Environmental Sustainability

As the world’s largest manager of commercial properties, we can play an outsized role in helping to limit the rise in global temperatures and improve the efficiency and sustainability of building operations. This also benefits our stockholders, given the heightened demand for sustainability services. Late last year, the Science Based Target Initiative approved our science-based target to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions (“GHG”) from both our own operations and the properties we manage for investors and occupiers. This includes a goal to decrease GHG emissions from our operations 68% by 2035, which we plan to accomplish through achieving 100% renewable electricity in our offices by 2025 and to transitioning our vehicle fleet to electric vehicles. We also set similarly ambitious GHG emissions reductions goals for the properties and facilities we manage for clients.

We are committed to providing transparency on meaningful sustainability-related information to stakeholders and have published SASB and TCFD-aligned disclosures in our Corporate Responsibility Report since 2017 and 2019, respectively.

Awards and Recognition

In 2020 and in early 2021, our environmental, social & governance efforts (“ESG”) were recognized with the following awards and accolades:

To learn more about our ESG efforts, please view our Corporate Responsibility Report on www.cbre.com/responsibility. The information contained on or available through this website is not a part of, or incorporated by reference into, this Proxy Statement.

Throughout each year, management and members of our Board engage with a significant portion of our stockholders through a number of forums, including quarterly earnings presentations, our annual meeting, our annual Corporate Responsibility Report, investor conferences and web communications, as well as our SEC filings, our annual report and proxy statement.

We also have a formal corporate governance outreach program. This program covers a wide array of topics with a broad group of stockholders, and stockholder feedback is regularly provided to the Board and the company’s management. In 2020, topics of discussion included company strategy and performance, executive compensation, board diversity and refreshment, corporate governance policies and corporate responsibility and sustainability initiatives. With regard to corporate responsibility and sustainability

discussions, investors were particularly focused on the company’s new science-based greenhouse gas emission reduction targets and progress on diversity, equity and inclusion. As a result of investor feedback, we have incorporated strategic objectives for diversity and inclusion

into our executives’ go-forward compensation structures for fiscal 2021. We have also made a commitment to use our supply chain to advance diversity by spending $1 billion with minority and women-owned businesses in 2021 and to grow this spend to $3 billion annually by 2025.

Stockholders and other interested parties may write to the Board Chair (who acts as the lead independent director), the entire Board or any of its members at CBRE Group, Inc., c/o Laurence H. Midler, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, 2100 McKinney Avenue, Suite 1250, Dallas, Texas 75201 or via email to larry.midler@cbre.com. The Board considers stockholder questions and comments to be important and endeavors to respond promptly and appropriately, even though the Board may not be able to respond to all stockholder inquiries directly.

The Board has developed a process to assist with managing inquiries and communications. The General Counsel will review any stockholder communications and will forward to the Chair of our Board, our Board or any of its members a summary and/or copies of any such correspondence that deals with the functions of our Board or committees thereof or that the General Counsel otherwise determines requires their attention. Certain circumstances may require that our Board depart from the procedures described above, such as the receipt of threatening letters or emails or voluminous inquiries with respect to the same subject matter.

If you would like to include a proposal for stockholder consideration in our 2022 proxy statement or bring business before our annual meeting of stockholders in 2022, you must send notice to Laurence H. Midler, Secretary, CBRE Group, Inc., 2100 McKinney Avenue, Suite 1250, Dallas, Texas 75201, by registered, certified, or express mail and provide the required information and follow the other procedural requirements described below.

Stockholder Proposals for Inclusion in the 2022 Proxy Statement. Stockholders who wish to present a proposal in accordance with SEC Rule 14a-8 for inclusion in our proxy materials to be distributed in connection with our 2022 annual meeting of stockholders must submit their proposals in accordance with that rule so that they are received by the Secretary at the address set forth above no later than the close of business on December 6, 2021. If the date of our 2022 annual meeting is more than 30 days before or after May 19, 2022, then the deadline to timely receive such material shall be a reasonable time before we begin to print and send our proxy materials. Failure to deliver a proposal in accordance with this procedure may result in it not being deemed timely received. As the rules of the SEC make clear, simply submitting a timely proposal does not guarantee that it will be included in our proxy materials.

Stockholder Director Nominations for Inclusion in the 2022 Proxy Statement. Our by-laws permit any stockholder, or group of up to 20 stockholders, who has beneficially owned 3% or more of our outstanding common stock continuously

for at least three years to submit director nominations to be included in our proxy materials. The maximum number of director nominees included in our proxy pursuant to this process (known as “proxy access”) shall be the greater of (i) 20% of the total number of directors serving in office at the deadline for nominations (rounded down to the nearest whole number) and (ii) two. The notice required to nominate a director for the 2022 annual meeting through this proxy access process must be delivered to (or mailed to and received at) the address set forth above no later than February 18, 2022 and no earlier than January 19, 2022, unless our 2022 annual meeting of stockholders is to be held more than 30 days before, or more than 70 days after, May 19, 2022, in which case the stockholder’s notice must be delivered not earlier than the close of business on the 120th day prior to the 2022 annual meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of the 90th day prior to the 2022 annual meeting or the 10th day after public announcement of the date of the 2022 annual meeting is first made. The notice must set forth the information required by our by-laws with respect to each proxy access director nomination that eligible stockholder or stockholders intend to present at the 2022 annual meeting and must otherwise be in compliance with our by-laws.

Other Stockholder Proposals or Nominations for Presentation at the 2022 Annual Meeting. If a stockholder wishes to bring business to a meeting for consideration other than a matter brought pursuant to SEC Rule 14a-8, the stockholder must give our Secretary written notice of the

stockholder’s intent to do so and provide the information required by the provision of our by-laws dealing with stockholder proposals. In addition, our by-laws allow stockholders to nominate one or more persons for election as directors outside of the proxy access process described above (although doing so relieves the company of the obligation to include a director nominee in the proxy materials prepared for the relevant stockholders meeting). The notice of such a proposal or director nomination must be delivered to (or mailed to and received at) the address set forth above no later than February 18, 2022 and no earlier than January 19, 2022, unless our 2022 annual meeting of stockholders is to be held more than 30 days before, or more than 70 days after, May 19, 2022, in which case the stockholder’s notice must be delivered not earlier than the close of business on the 120th day prior to the 2022 annual meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of the 90th day prior to the 2022 annual meeting or the 10th day after public announcement of the date of the 2022 annual meeting is first made. In the event that the number of directors to be elected at the annual meeting is increased and no public

announcement naming all of the nominees or specifying the size of the increased Board has been made by February 8, 2022, then notice of a stockholder’s nomination to fill the new position or positions may be delivered to (or mailed to and received at) the address set forth above no later than the close of business on the 10th day after public announcement of such increase is first made. The requirements for such stockholder’s notice are set forth in our by-laws, which are posted in the Corporate Governance section of the Investor Relations page on our website at www.cbre.com. We will submit all candidates nominated by a stockholder pursuant to the procedures and requirements outlined in this “—Other Stockholder Proposals or Nominations for Presentation at the 2022 Annual Meeting” section to the Governance Committee for its review, and this submission may include an analysis of the candidate from our management. Any stockholder making a nomination in accordance with the foregoing process will be notified of the Governance Committee’s decision. The information contained on or accessible through our corporate websites is not part of or incorporated by reference into this Proxy Statement.

The Audit Committee of our Board appointed KPMG LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm to audit our consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2021. During 2020, KPMG LLP served as our independent accountant and reported on our consolidated financial statements for that year. KPMG LLP has been our independent auditor at all times since 2008.

The Audit Committee periodically considers whether to rotate our independent auditor in order to assure continuing auditor independence. The Board and the members of the Audit Committee believe that the continued retention of KPMG LLP as the company’s independent auditor in fiscal year 2021 is in the best interests of the company and its stockholders.

We expect that representatives of KPMG LLP will attend the Annual Meeting and will have the opportunity to make a

statement if they so desire and to respond to appropriate questions.

Although stockholder ratification is not required, the appointment of KPMG LLP is being submitted for ratification at the Annual Meeting with a view towards soliciting stockholders’ opinions, which the Audit Committee will take into consideration in future deliberations. If KPMG LLP’s selection is not ratified at the Annual Meeting, the Audit Committee will consider the engagement of other independent accountants. The Audit Committee may terminate KPMG LLP’s engagement as our independent accountant without the approval of our stockholders whenever the Audit Committee deems termination appropriate.

Audit Fees—Includes fees associated with the audit of our annual financial statements, review of our annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, statutory audits, and consents and assistance with and review of registration statements filed with the SEC. In addition, audit fees include those fees related to KPMG LLP’s audit of the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

Audit-Related Fees—Includes fees associated with the audit of our employee benefit plans, accounting consultations related to GAAP and the application of GAAP to proposed transactions. In addition, audit-related fees include those fees related to KPMG LLP’s examination of the effectiveness of our internal controls over client accounting.

Tax Fees—Includes fees associated with tax compliance at international locations, domestic and international tax advice and planning and assistance with tax audits and appeals.

The Audit Committee is responsible for overseeing and approving our independent auditor’s fees, and pre-approves all audit and permissible non-audit services provided by our independent auditor. These services may include audit services, audit-related services, tax services and other services. Pre-approval is generally provided for up to one year and any pre-approval is detailed as to the particular service or category of services and is generally subject to a specific budget. Our independent auditors and management are

required to periodically report to the Audit Committee regarding the extent of services provided by the independent auditor in accordance with this pre-approval process and the fees for the services performed to date. In certain one-off cases, the Audit Committee Chair (on behalf of the Audit Committee) may also pre-approve particular services, with that pre-approval subject to subsequent Audit Committee ratification.

The Audit Committee consists of five directors, each of whom is independent under NYSE rules and applicable securities laws. The Board has determined that each member of the Audit Committee is financially literate as required under NYSE rules. Our Board has also determined that each of Dr. Tyson and Messrs. Feeny, Jenny and Yajnik meets the qualifications of an audit committee financial expert as

described under “Corporate Governance—Board Meetings and Committees—Audit Committee” on page 19. The Audit Committee operates under a written charter adopted by the Board, a copy of which is published in the Corporate Governance section of the Investor Relations page of our website at www.cbre.com.

The Audit Committee assists the Board in fulfilling its responsibilities to our stockholders with respect to our independent auditors, our corporate accounting and reporting practices, risk oversight and the quality and integrity of our financial statements and reports. The Audit Committee is directly responsible for overseeing the appointment, compensation, retention and oversight of the work of our independent auditor, and the Audit Committee and its chair oversee the selection of our independent auditor’s lead engagement partner. In addition, the Audit Committee reviews and considers all potential related-party and corporate-opportunity transactions involving us and our directors and executive officers.

The Audit Committee discussed with our independent auditors the scope, extent and procedures for the fiscal 2020 audit. Following completion of the audit, the Audit Committee met with our independent auditors, with and without management present, to discuss the results of their examinations, the cooperation received by the auditors during the audit examination, their evaluation of our internal controls over financial reporting and the overall quality of our financial reporting.

Management is primarily responsible for our financial statements, reporting process and systems of internal controls. In ensuring that our management fulfilled that responsibility, the Audit Committee reviewed and discussed with management the audited financial statements in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020. Discussion topics included the quality and acceptability of the accounting principles, the reasonableness of significant judgments, the clarity of disclosures in the financial statements and an assessment of the work of the independent auditors.

The independent auditors are responsible for expressing an opinion on the conformity of the audited financial statements with GAAP. The Audit Committee reviewed and discussed with the independent auditors their judgments as to the quality and acceptability of our accounting principles and such other matters as are required to be discussed by Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and the SEC. In addition, the Audit Committee received from the independent auditors written disclosures and a letter regarding their

independence as required by applicable rules of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board regarding the independent auditors’ communications with the Audit Committee, discussed with the independent auditors their independence from us and our management and considered the compatibility of non-audit services with the auditors’ independence.

Based on the reviews and discussions described above, the Audit Committee recommended to the Board (and the Board subsequently approved) the inclusion of the audited financial statements in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 for filing with the SEC.

In addition, the Audit Committee has appointed KPMG LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2021. The Board concurred with the selection of KPMG LLP. The Board has recommended to our stockholders that they ratify and approve the selection of KPMG LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2021.

In accordance with law, the Audit Committee is responsible for establishing procedures for the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints that we receive regarding accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing matters, including the confidential, anonymous submission of complaints by our employees received through established procedures of concerns regarding questionable accounting or auditing matters. The Audit Committee approved the establishment of an ethics and compliance program in 2004 and receives periodic reports from our Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer regarding that program.

Audit Committee

Curtis F. Feeny, Chair

Shira D. Goodman

Christopher T. Jenny

Laura D. Tyson

Sanjiv Yajnik

Notwithstanding any statement in any of our filings with the SEC that might be deemed to incorporate part or all of any filings with the SEC by reference, including this Proxy Statement, the foregoing Report of the Audit Committee is not incorporated into any such filings.

Our Board is committed to excellence in governance and recognizes the interest of our stockholders in our executive compensation program. As a part of that commitment, and in accordance with SEC rules, we are asking you to approve, on an advisory basis, a resolution on the compensation of the named executive officers as reported in this Proxy Statement. This proposal, commonly known as a “say on pay” proposal, gives you the opportunity to endorse or not endorse our 2020 executive compensation program and policies for our named executive officers. The Board has adopted a policy providing for annual “say on pay” advisory votes. Accordingly, the next “say on pay” vote will occur at our annual meeting of stockholders in 2022.

In deciding how to vote on this proposal, our Board encourages you to review the “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” in this Proxy Statement beginning on page 31 for a detailed description of our executive compensation philosophy and programs.

This vote is not intended to address any specific item of compensation, but rather the overall compensation that was paid in 2020 to our named executive officers resulting from our compensation objectives, policies and practices as described in this Proxy Statement. Because your vote is advisory, it will not be binding upon the Board. However, the Board and the Compensation Committee value the opinions expressed by our stockholders and will review the voting results in connection with their ongoing evaluation of our executive compensation program.

We received strong support for our executive compensation from our stockholders at our 2020 annual meeting of stockholders, at which approximately 94% of the votes cast on the “say on pay” proposal were in favor of the 2019 compensation that we paid to our named executive officers. In addition, stockholders that we engaged with as part of our

outreach program generally reported that executive compensation was viewed as well-aligned with performance.

Our executive compensation program is designed to reinforce our corporate strategy and to attract and retain accomplished and high-performing executives and to motivate those executives to consistently achieve short- and long-term goals consistent with and in furtherance of our corporate strategy. To achieve this goal, we have designed an executive compensation program based on the following principles:

The text of the resolution in respect of Proposal 3 is as follows:

RESOLVED, that the compensation paid to our named executive officers for 2020 set forth in the Compensation Discussion and Analysis, the Summary Compensation Table and the related compensation tables and narrative in this Proxy Statement, as disclosed pursuant to Item 402 of Regulation S-K, is hereby approved on an advisory basis.

Our executive compensation program is designed to reinforce our corporate strategy, to attract and retain accomplished and high-performing executives and to motivate those executives to consistently achieve short- and long-term goals consistent with our corporate strategy. Our pay philosophy emphasizes pay-for-performance through significant variable compensation tied to accomplishment of financial and strategic objectives.

Despite our solid overall financial and operational performance in 2020 and strong performance by each of our executive officers to build a more resilient business, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic led to a meaningful reduction in named executive officer compensation in a number of ways:

Summarized on page 32 are the key components of our executive compensation program established and administered by the Board’s Compensation Committee (referred to in this CD&A as the “Committee”) with respect to our executive compensation program for the named executive officers for 2020.

Compensation plays a vital role in supporting short- and long-term business objectives that ultimately drive business success. We believe that our compensation programs should reinforce our corporate strategy and focus our executives on creating sustainable stockholder value. As a result, we reward our executives for annual and long-term business performance based on global company and/or segment financial performance as well as based on progress against individual strategic performance objectives.

The Committee establishes and administers our executive compensation program. The primary objectives of the program are to attract and retain accomplished and high-performing executives and to motivate those executives to consistently achieve short- and long-term goals consistent with our corporate strategy. These short- and long-term compensation incentives are designed to:

At the beginning of each performance year, the Committee determines the appropriate target levels of each component of compensation and establishes annual financial and strategic performance objectives for each executive officer based on factors the Committee deems relevant in its business judgment. Following year-end, performance relative to these objectives is measured, and individual annual performance

awards are then determined. When establishing target compensation levels and annual performance objectives the Committee may consider such factors as they deem relevant, including:

These factors may vary from year to year based upon the Committee’s subjective business judgment reflecting its members’ collective experience.

Our CEO meets with the Committee and its independent compensation consultant to provide perspective about us and our industry that may be helpful in conducting an accurate survey of relevant market data from time to time. In addition, our CEO makes recommendations on non-CEO executive compensation and reviews and provides the Committee with commentary on the competitive pay information regarding non-CEO executive compensation contained in the consultant’s report to the Committee. At the invitation of the Committee, our CEO also attends meetings when the performance of other executive officers is discussed. During

these meetings, our CEO provides an assessment of those executives’ performance and recommends a payout percentage with respect to the strategic objectives portion of the annual performance bonus for each of those executive officers. The Committee makes all ultimate compensation decisions with respect to our executive officers (including for our CEO), incorporating both the feedback from its independent compensation consultant and our CEO. Our CEO does not attend Committee discussions where the Committee evaluates his performance or sets his compensation.

The Committee has retained Frederic W. Cook & Co., Inc., or FW Cook, as its independent compensation consultant. FW Cook reports directly to the Committee, attends meetings and provides advice to the Committee. FW Cook prepares analyses for the Committee based on its review of market data that it believes to be relevant, including compensation levels at, and the financial performance of, a comparator group of companies identified for the relevant period. FW Cook meets with the Committee and with management to solicit input on job scope, performance, retention issues and other factors that it views as relevant. FW Cook then prepares reports for the Committee with respect to management recommendations as to compensation opportunities of the applicable executive officers and the reasonableness of such recommendations. FW Cook also advises the Committee on compensation-related developments and best practices.

FW Cook has not provided the company any services other than the services that it provided to the Committee. After considering, among other things, the other factors described elsewhere in this Proxy Statement with respect to FW Cook’s work for the Committee and (i) the absence of any business or personal relationship between FW Cook and any member of the Committee or any of our executive officers, (ii) a certification from FW Cook that it does not trade in our securities, (iii) FW Cook’s Independence Policy that is reviewed annually by its board of directors, and (iv) FW Cook’s policy of proactively notifying the Committee chair of any potential or perceived conflicts of interest, the Committee has concluded that FW Cook is independent and that its work does not raise any conflict of interest.

We seek to offer total compensation opportunities competitive with the market in which we compete for executive talent. For some positions, this market is broader than the commercial real estate services and investment industry in which we operate. Accordingly, the Committee periodically reviews comparator company compensation data, general industry compensation survey data and recommendations from the Committee’s independent compensation consultant to understand whether our executive

compensation is reasonable and competitive. For certain executives, the Committee examines target compensation levels against business services sector comparators and a broad group of non-manufacturing companies, including those that the Committee considers to be our most comparable public company competitors. This group changes from time to time, and for 2020 executive-compensation-planning purposes it consisted of the following companies:

The group of companies listed above includes business services companies outside our industry, with stature, size and complexity that are generally similar to our own, in recognition of the fact that all of our direct competitors are smaller than us and/or are non-public organizations, and competition for certain senior management talent is not limited to our industry. We believe that the compensation paid by the comparator group, taken as a whole, serves as one appropriate reference for our executive compensation, and we do not target any particular compensation percentile within the comparator group when setting executive compensation.

The Committee considers market compensation data that it believes to be reliable and relevant when establishing executive compensation targets. As one factor in setting compensation targets for our CEO, the Committee examines data for comparable positions in the comparator group described above, which indicates, for example, that our CEO’s base salary and annual incentive targets should be significantly more than those of the next highest paid company executive. This is partly a function of competitive market data, which indicates that chief executive officers are

paid significantly higher than other executives, but it also reflects the Committee’s view that our CEO bears ultimate responsibility for our global results and our overall success, such that his compensation opportunity should be set higher. Because reliable comparative data for other positions that might be specific to our business, such as a business-line chief executive officer, is not broadly available from the comparator group, the Committee also reviews compensation data from the comparator group for the most comparable level positions (e.g., 2^nd or 3^rd highest paid), as well as other data from outside the identified comparator group that it considers to be a reliable indicator of market compensation levels for those positions. As noted above under “—How We Make Compensation Decisions—Our Compensation Committee” on page 34, market compensation data is only one of many factors considered by the Committee when setting the compensation mix and levels for any particular executive. The actual factors considered by the Committee may vary from year to year based upon the Committee’s subjective business judgment reflecting its members’ collective experience.

The Committee also considers the results of annual stockholder advisory votes on the compensation of our named executive officers in connection with the discharge of its responsibilities. We received strong support for our executive compensation from our stockholders at our 2020 annual meeting of stockholders, at which approximately 94% of the votes cast on the “say on pay” proposal were in favor of the 2019 compensation for our named executive officers. At the

2021 Annual Meeting, we will again hold an advisory vote to approve our named executive officer compensation for 2020. See “Proposal 3—Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation” on page 30. The Committee will continue to consider the results of these annual advisory votes in evaluating our executive compensation policies and programs.

In 2020, we continued our stockholder outreach program and sought feedback from stockholders on a variety of topics, including company strategy and performance, executive compensation, board diversity and refreshment, corporate governance policies, corporate responsibility and sustainability initiatives. With respect to executive compensation, stockholders generally reported that executive

compensation was viewed as well-aligned with performance. The Committee endeavors to incorporate feedback from our stockholders into our annual compensation decisions. As a result of investor feedback, we have incorporated strategic objectives for diversity and inclusion into our executives’ go-forward compensation structures for fiscal 2021.

The Committee annually reviews the risks that may arise from our compensation programs, and in 2020, we undertook a comprehensive assessment of risk relating to those programs. Our management prepared a detailed inventory of all of our compensation programs, and FW Cook, on behalf of the Committee, worked with our management to analyze each

program’s design to determine whether the program creates or encourages excessive or inappropriate risk taking. Based on this review and analysis, we and the Committee have concluded that our compensation programs do not present any risk that is reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on us.

The compensation program for our named executive officers consists primarily of three elements, which are described in more detail below:

We endeavor to attract, motivate and retain exceptional individuals with demonstrated leadership and other capabilities required to implement innovative business initiatives, while concurrently encouraging those leaders to work towards ambitious long-term business objectives. We further seek to customize our pay practices based on individual performance, leadership and potential, as well as

global company and segment results. We assess our executives in the context of a methodical performance management process. We believe that our pay practices support all of these efforts.

A significant percentage of our executive officers’ annual compensation package is variable, consisting of annual cash performance awards and long-term equity-based incentives. As shown in the charts below (which charts reflect the named executive officer’s full base salaries without accounting for the temporary base salary reductions for 2020), for 2020, the targeted annual cash performance awards and long-term equity incentives comprised approximately (i) 93% of total target direct compensation for our CEO and (ii) on average 87% of total target direct compensation for our CEO together with our other named executive officers.

We provide competitive base salaries that allow us to attract and retain a high-performing leadership team at a reasonable level of fixed costs. Base pay levels generally reflect a variety of factors, such as the executive’s skill and experience, the seniority of the position, the difficulty of finding a replacement, affordability and the positioning of the base pay against market salary levels and against base salaries of other senior executives at the company. Base salaries are generally reviewed annually during the first quarter of the year but may also be reviewed at other times if an executive officer’s responsibilities have materially changed or other special circumstances so warrant.

In 2020, the Committee established the annual base salaries for our named executive officers as set forth in the table below. In light of the company’s contingency planning related to the financial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, Mr. Sulentic voluntarily agreed to a temporary reduction of 100% of his base salary. Ms. Stearns and Messrs. Durburg, Lafitte and Queenan also voluntarily agreed to a 15% temporary reduction of their base salaries. The temporary executive salary reductions took effect on April 4, 2020 and expired on December 31, 2020.

Annual Performance Awards

In 2020, the Committee granted annual performance awards to our executive officers under our Executive Bonus Plan, or EBP. Within the framework of the EBP, the Committee establishes target and maximum award opportunities and corresponding performance goals and determines actual payouts thereunder for our executives. The EBP is designed to motivate and reward executives by aligning pay with annual performance, and the amount of an award thereunder

is measured by the executive’s success against a combination of challenging financial and strategic performance objectives established by the Committee. We may determine in any year to pay an award under the EBP in cash, or in the form of company stock or other non-cash forms of compensation.

Annual EBP Target Award

In 2020, the Committee established annual performance award targets for our named executive officers under the EBP as set forth in the table below.

2020 Financial Metrics Under the EBP

The Committee used adjusted EBITDA¹ for our global business (measured against plan) when establishing 2020 financial performance targets under the EBP for our CEO and other corporate executives with enterprise-wide roles to effectively tie compensation to our operating results. We believe that adjusted EBITDA is an appropriate measure to evaluate our operating performance because it focuses on profitability but excludes certain items that management does not consider directly indicative of the company’s ongoing performance.

For our executives who run our business segments, their 2020 financial performance targets were based on a combination of adjusted EBITDA for the global business and a new metric—segment operating profit¹. Although not the primary measure of profit or loss used by our CEO, we believe segment operating profit is an appropriate measure to evaluate segment operating performance because it focuses on profitability but excludes certain items that management does not consider directly indicative of the relevant segment’s ongoing performance. Segment operating profit is also the metric by which management tracked segment financial performance in 2020. We believe it is appropriate that the financial metrics driving compensation outcomes match the metrics by which the business is managed. We believe that this combined measurement encourages our executives to collaborate across and contribute to the success of our entire enterprise, while also holding executives accountable for the results of the segment they lead.

Following year-end, our actual financial performance is then compared to the targeted financial performance. For our executives to be eligible to receive any award under the EBP for 2020, our actual financial performance had to exceed 70% of the applicable target for adjusted EBITDA/segment operating profit. Performance at the target level for adjusted EBITDA/segment operating profit would have resulted in a 100% financial adjustment factor (i.e., no premium or discount applied to the EBP target award), and performance at 130% or greater of the target level for adjusted EBITDA/segment operating profit would have resulted in a 200% financial adjustment factor. The financial adjustment factor for performance between 70% and 130% of the target level is linearly interpolated. For example, in 2020 our adjusted EBITDA at the global level was 83.3% of target (resulting in a 44.5% financial adjustment factor to the portion of the EBP target subject to global performance); operating profit for our Advisory Services segment was 74.9% of target, resulting in a 16.5% financial adjustment factor which was applied to 50% of the EBP target for Mr. Queenan; operating profit for our Global Workplace Solutions segment was 102.6% of target, resulting in a 108.6% financial adjustment factor which was applied to 50% of the EBP target for Mr. Durburg; and operating profit for our Real Estate Investments segment was 90.2% of target, resulting in a 67.4% financial adjustment factor which was applied to 50% of the EBP target for Mr. Lafitte.