Julio Grings, former WeWork executive and recently appointed Real Estate Manager at Accenture Brazil, sat down with the REsource team to discuss his new challenge and his 14-year journey in the real estate industry. A graduate in Civil Engineering  from the University of São Paulo (USP), Julio holds an MBA in Business Management from Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV), an XBA in Xponential Business Administration from Startse, and an executive education certificate from Harvard Law School. 

Early Steps 

Julio began his career representing tenants and worked at consulting firms such as CBRE and JLL, where he developed a strategic outlook. In 2018, he joined WeWork, staying there for five years and experiencing both the peak and the challenges of the coworking giant. 

“What were your days like at WeWork?” 

"I decided to join WeWork at the time to round out my experience in three key areas: consulting, space provider, and user of that space. My role at WeWork was to provide the ideal space for large clients, mediating negotiations and seeking the best terms," explains Grings. 

When asked about the crisis that affected WeWork, Julio shared a unique perspective. "I wouldn’t call it a crisis but rather a period of intense renegotiations. The impact came more from the media coverage than from internal problems. Of course, there were unfinished projects and constant changes, but our focus was on mitigating those effects for our clients and maintaining the workflow." 

Transition to Accenture 

Julio revealed that he was seeking experience that would allow him to view real estate from the client’s perspective, and he found the ideal opportunity at Accenture. 

“My role as Real Estate Manager is to oversee the company’s spaces, managing transactions, leases, renewals, and also the upcoming new leases.” He notes that his team is made up of three people in different countries collectively managing a portfolio of dozens of properties. 

What are the main challenges in your new company? Julio explains that working for a global company requires well-defined processes so that all real estate actions follow a clear beginning, middle, and end, all aligned with the same objectives. “It’s a company that requires careful management and project oversight,” he adds.