Since the Cushman & Wakefield, Cassidy Turley and DTZ merger, the internal teams have been actively restructuring and evolving to drive the firm in a strategic direction. Following our interview with Marla Maloney, president of Asset Services for the Americas at Cushman & Wakefield in 2015, we wanted to check in to learn more about the company’s progress as it continues to fill senior-level positions.
Jana Turner, principal at RETS Associates, a leading national real estate recruiting firm, connects with Noble Carpenter, president, investor services & capital markets of the Americas at Cushman & Wakefield, following continued transformation and a recent search for a managing director, investor services eastern region.
Jana Turner (JT): How has Cushman & Wakefield evolved over the last two years?
Noble Carpenter (NC): Since the merger, we have developed a more integrated platform across our occupier and investor services verticals. One of our goals was to leverage our local market expertise and service line capabilities on a national and global scale, to support brokers and drive value for investor clients. I have been through several mergers in my career, and am pleased to see that the evolution of our people, processes and systems are going very well.
JT: We understand C&W is expanding its investor services team, can you share what the vision is for this role?
(NC): As we continue to grow, we are aggregating information across all of our investor service lines including sales, finance, leasing, asset services and project development to communicate a customized program that delivers on client needs. By being proactive, we can bring strategic recommendations to our clients that spur ideas for their investment initiatives.
The Managing Director’s role is to spearhead this effort from our New York office and integrate it across the nation. We were looking for a very unique skillset and the RETS team knew exactly what we needed – and found us that needle in a haystack! We hired a Managing Director in April, and her duty now is to guide managers and their teams to speak with one advisory voice unique to each client and bring collaborative talent to deliver on client needs. This function will continue our evolution from a service provider to a strategic partner, and from a commodity to a necessity.
JT: What is your perception of the hiring market in New York?
(NC): In the current state of commercial real estate, “impossible to find” is a common theme for talent, especially in New York. The most important criteria we gave RETS was that the candidate had a principal mindset and was a mid-level professional ready for a senior-level role. Unfortunately, there are huge challenges associated with that list because of the many available opportunities at investment firms in the city, coupled by the almost zero unemployment rate in the real estate sector. The candidate we selected was united in achieving our vision, and recognized the growth potential within the role. Together, we are excited to see where our new leaders will take this company in the coming years.
June 30, 2017
