John Forrester has been appointed global president of Cushman & Wakefield as part of a reshuffle of the advisory giant’s EMEA leadership team.
Colin Wilson becomes chief executive officer, EMEA, with George Roberts appointed head of UK and Ireland. All roles are effective from 1 December 2017.
Digby Flower continues as chairman UK and Ireland, playing a key role in driving the overall business as well as building key relationships as one of the UK’s pre-eminent real estate advisers and personalities.
As global president, Forrester will have day-to-day operational and management oversight of the firm’s four global regions of the Americas, EMEA, Asia Pacific, and Greater China. He will also be responsible for developing the firm’s range of services to satisfy clients’ evolving needs. The global role, working closely with chief executive Brett White, will be based in London.
Prior to the C&W merger with DTZ in 2015, Forrester served as chief executive EMEA at DTZ, which he joined in 1988. He also acted as group chief executive of DTZ Holdings and led the formal sale process to UGL in 2011. Under his leadership, Cushman & Wakefield’s EMEA business has been strengthened by strategic appointments and acquisitions – including Cogest Retail (Italy), DTZ Zadelhoff (Netherlands) and ADMOS (Belgium & Luxembourg).
Chief executive Brett White said: “We have been growing on all fronts, making strategic acquisitions, adding services and taking market share. Now is the time to ensure we have the right people in place to drive us forwards for the next phase of our growth. John is a remarkable leader who has run large, complex organisations, has extensive knowledge of global real estate markets and is a trusted adviser to leading global occupiers and investors. He is ideally placed to ensure our regional businesses work together effectively to capitalise on the increasingly global nature of client requirements and opportunities.”
Forrester said: “It is an honour to take on this role. We are a very different organisation to the one we were at merger, yet as we have grown we have remained entrepreneurial and action-oriented. That is important as the industry is changing fast. We must lead that charge while maintaining our constant focus on providing the best advice to our amazing clients in every major market and service line around the world.
“Colin and George embody this client-first focus as outstanding market leaders who have become outstanding business leaders. They have the skills and experience to grow our EMEA and UK and Ireland operations for the benefit of our clients and our great people.”
Wilson joined DTZ in 1996, leading central London investment and national investment teams before being made head of UK and Ireland in 2012. Since the merger he has built out the UK and Ireland business, adding new capabilities to meet changing client demands, and served on the EMEA leadership board. An ambassador for increased diversity and inclusion in the industry, he launched Inspire, Cushman & Wakefield’s UK diversity and inclusion initiative last year.
Wilson said: “I am excited to be taking forward our superb EMEA business, in which the similarities across our markets increasingly outweigh any differences. This era of political, economic and technological uncertainty presents significant opportunities for our business which is ideally structured to provide strategic advice to clients moving capital, services or employees across borders.”
Wilson will be supported in his role by Carlo Barel di Sant’Albano who continues as EMEA chairman.
Roberts previously led the London markets division, comprising occupier representation, leasing, capital markets, residential and development teams. He has overseen the growth of the division, with the team being at the centre of some of London’s most iconic projects this year. Prior to heading London markets, Roberts was central to growing Cushman & Wakefield’s occupier representation team.
Roberts said: “I am looking forward to working closely with our leaders and talented colleagues across the UK and Ireland, and supporting them in delivering the forward-looking and insightful advice that our clients demand in what we all know is a fast-changing world.”
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