Page 4 - Informed 2018 Issue 2

Many ICSC voices become a force for change
Peter Wilhelm
It would be easy to think that the current headwinds in European retail real estate are brewing up the perfect storm. But in these circumstances, a
little collective wisdom to plot the right course becomes more vital than ever. ‘The challenges and opportunities arising in our industry are bigger than ever before,’ according to Peter Wilhelm, CEO of Wilhelm & Co, who became Chairman of ICSC in October. ‘But I don’t know any other organisation – apart from ICSC – which has quite so much knowledge on retail.’
After Wilhelm’s appointment was an- nounced in April at the annual European Conference, the official handover took place last month, as the Belgian retail real estate chief – with decades of experience in the industry – took over from Josip Kardun, CEO of Multi Corporation.
‘One of the key objectives of my chairman- ship will be to do everything I can to not only to attract the attention of our differ- ent members on key issues, but also of the member states of the EU,’ Wilhelm said. Indeed, after chairing ICSC’s annual CEO Forum this summer in Brussels, following years in the ICSC European Public Affairs
Committee (EPAC) hotseat, Wilhelm is clear that the ICSC must cement its role in Europe to steer ahead.
‘In recent times, physical retailers and e-commerce businesses haven’t been com- peting on a level playing field,’ Wilhelm
New chairman Peter Wilhelm and outgoing chairman Josip Kardun go head to head on
the key issues in the industry, and discuss how ICSC’s collective might can drive change at an institutional level
4 | ICSC INFORMED | NOVEMBER 2018
‘One of the key objectives of my chairmanship will be to attract the attention of the EU’
says. ‘There’s a need to push for recogni- tion of the unequal tax treatment that has dogged our industry.’ For Wilhelm, driving this kind of change starts with having a voice in the right forum.
Collective impact
‘We want ICSC to move from being a networking platform to something that will become more – if not a lobby – than at least an organisation with a lot of weight,’