Studley's Robert Pressman

Well, no one can say it’s business as usual under the new regime at Studley. The Manhattan-based firm whose decades-long MO was tenant rep in the office sector is now a retail broker and advisor too, and will on a limited basis go after ownership business as well. The agent of change is Robert Pressman, the former Barney’s chairman and CEO. Those credentials alone would prove his seaworthiness, but Pressman has also logged time at both Newmark and Cushman & Wakefield where, he says, he launched similar retail initiatives. Well, not really similar, as the now three-month veteran of Studley explained in a recent exclusive interview:

GlobeSt.com: Since Barney’s, you’ve been at Newmark, C&W and now Studley. Why the hopping around?

Pressman: It wasn’t hopping around. When I left Barney’s after the business was sold to new investors, I was determined to use my experience in finance and real estate to consult for major companies. I had known the Newmark folks for many years and joined them. In 2002 an opportunity was presented to me by Cushman to run their consulting practice on a global basis. It was a more expansive and global role. So I decided to take the opportunity. I wasn’t looking to leave Cushman, but an interesting situation occurred when Studley approached me about doing a joint-venture consulting project. We were retained and I learned that they were looking to start a new retail group on a much broader platform than the others, where I would be running both brokerage and consulting.