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As a teen growing up in Germany, Benni Bueckert got an introduction to the real estate business from his father, who owned some apartments. He often tagged along to meetings and saw firsthand how things worked. Now, Bueckert is pursuing those early passions in his role as vice president of workplace and engagement at McAfee.
Inspired by his teenage experiences, Bueckert made the real estate industry a focus of his education. He studied economics at Paderborn University, international marketing and cross-cultural negotiation with a specialization in real estate mergers and acquisitions at NEOMA Business School, international business administration at Bar-Ilan University, and real estate investment banking at EBS University.
“This led me to start my first career, working on my own with friends of my dad, looking at investments in real estate,” he recounts. “I was doing all the legwork and finding success.”
But in 2008, the subprime mortgage crisis hit worldwide. Suddenly, Bueckert found there were no funds or loans available. “All of what I was doing stopped overnight,” he recalls. “I had to look at a different job and was lured into a tech company, Atos Origin in Frankfurt, working on hotel developments and projects.”
Bueckert’s bosses at Atos Origin knew they could put his real estate background to good use. Armed with his expertise and his newfound tech skills, he started managing offices, labs, and data centers.
“Suddenly, my tech [and] real estate world career took off,” he exclaims. “It opened an entry into a global job. I started to work in France, in England, Spain, Switzerland, Poland, and at one point China and India.”
It also brought Bueckert to the United States, where he became Atos’s senior director and head of real estate investments in the Americas. He worked in Dallas, Texas, for almost four years.
In 2019, an opportunity with McAfee arose, and Bueckert stepped into his current role as vice president of workplace and engagement. “Early on, I was a traditional portfolio manager in real estate, managing all the sites and investment projects,” he explains. “After the pandemic, my job changed. We reduced our global footprint to a minimum, and we are just now starting to look into investing in real estate again, coming from a remote work environment.”
Bueckert’s day-to-day work now involves collaborating more with the business, the HR department, and leadership on what an effective work model for McAfee looks like.
“We are in an industry with constant change, constant challenges, and we’re always thinking of new solutions to protect society, people, and families.”
Benni Bueckert
As a leader, he describes himself as a “team player.” Though his team is smaller than in years past—with four direct reports in the US and one in Ireland—Bueckert enjoys working side by side with his team and making a difference.
“We have weekly meetings, and it’s more of a democratic type of work style; everyone has input, and everyone can contribute and own their expertise,” Bueckert says. “There are certain moments I step up as the leader, and that’s understood, but I find that we work and succeed as a team.”
Bueckert was instrumental in opening the San José headquarters for McAfee in 2019. He also played a significant role in the company’s IPO two years later.
“Coming out of the pandemic, the next big project was opening the regional headquarters in Frisco, TX in 2023,” he notes. “That was a turning point in our workplace strategy, where we are investing again in our workplaces and a new work model. We believe that personal connection will drive culture, and culture drives revenue.”
Eddie Black, director of operations at K2 Construction, speaks fondly of his firm’s participation on the new McAfee office. “K2’s history with Benni began with the award-winning Atos project. After serving as McAfee’s construction partner since 2002, we are proud to have partnered in the completion of McAfee’s new regional headquarters,” Black says. “These long-term relationships are testaments to Benni’s and K2’s shared commitment to a collaborative, creative approach to construction.”
The office focuses more on events, collaboration, and in-person gatherings rather than the traditional work setting and roles. It’s one of the most significant parts of where McAfee is today.
“This work model is more oriented on hospitality, where people can arrive from multiple cities and countries and meet,” Bueckert explains. “It’s a very flexible work style, and that’s how we embrace our work model here.”
In 2024, McAfee opened two new offices in Tokyo, Japan, and Bengaluru, India. Both have the same philosophy.
“There are multiple settings and work styles that we are catering to, and we have a dedicated leadership area with assigned seating, but everything else is open,” Bueckert shares. “It is a combination for people to still have a home office but also an in-office setting with a seamless transition of technology.”
By doing things this way, Bueckert and McAfee feel that they are protecting people and staying on top of the ever-changing technology that’s ahead. And that’s what he loves about the job.
“Every day you will have a different challenge, and there will always be new challenges down the road,” Bueckert says. “We are in an industry with constant change, constant challenges, and we’re always thinking of new solutions to protect society, people, and families. That is what I enjoy.”
Founded in 2002, K2 Construction is a North Texas general contractor specializing in commercial office interiors. We are on a mission to raise the bar. Our full-service approach to construction goes beyond schedule and budget, because we build more than just your project. We build confidence, trust and lasting relationships.
Don’t believe us? Just ask our friends at McAfee. Our 22 year partnership with the global software company has culminated in K2 building over 120 projects for McAfee, including their new regional headquarters at The Star in Frisco, Texas.
