NEW YORK CITY-Cushman & Wakefield is taking big strides in growing its corporate occupier and investor services (CIS) group. The firm Monday announced the promotion of two executives into newly created leadership positions in the division. In addition, the company has tapped a corporate real estate professional from Intel to run the account for one client, Symantec.
Randy Thompson has been promoted to senior managing director, head of US corporate project management. Previously corporate project management lead for C&W in the Midwest, he brings more than 26 years of real estate experience and is based in Dallas.
Meanwhile, Roger Gonzalez has been promoted to senior managing director, US head of facilities management. He was most recently the global account lead for Symantec, which required multiple service delivery in 36 countries. Also a 26-year industry veteran, Gonzalez has been promoted from senior operations manager to senior managing director since joining C&W in 2002. He is based in San Jose.
To replace Gonzalez, Sunil Das has been hired in San Jose as a managing director charged with overseeing client service responsibilities for Symantec. Most recently, Das served as director of workplace transformation and services at Intel. He has more than 20 years of experience in global real estate, site selection, construction, operations, incentive negotiations, workplace transformation and general management. Cushman & Wakefield is still recruiting for Thompson's replacement.
C&W's corporate occupier and investor services group currently manages 17,688 properties totaling 904 million square feet of space worldwide. The company has placed an increased emphasis on its CIS division in light of shifts in corporate America that were spawned by the recession, Mark Wanic, executive managing director, Americas head of occupier services, tells GlobeSt.com.
"Companies continue to focus on their core business and outsource non-core functions," he says. "We've been investing in our CIS platform and people due to the double digit revenue growth of this service line at C&W."
That hiring goes beyond filling standard needs, Wanic adds. “That's not traditional brokerage strength but rather account directors, people who can come in and run a global account."
The two new roles reflect changed needs that have arisen as the CIS division has grown, Wanic says. “As our business continues to grow, the need to have more dedicated resources across the delivery function—as well as to serve client needs—increases. It adds requirements for us every 6 to 12 months. It's like we're running a small entrepreneurial company within a big company.”
He's confident in Cushman's ability to fare well amid a sea of other firms. “It's a competitive landscape,” Wanic admits, “but our brokerage strength coupled with the CIS team puts significant runway ahead of us to grow within the firm."
Want to continue reading?
Become a Free ALM Digital Reader.
Once you are an ALM Digital Member, you’ll receive:
- Breaking commercial real estate news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical coverage of the property casualty insurance and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
*May exclude premium content© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
Rayna Katz
Rayna Katz is a seasoned business journalist whose extensive experience includes coverage of the lodging sector, travel and the culinary space. She was most recently content director for a business-to-business publisher, overseeing four publications. While at Meeting News, a travel trade publication, she received a Best Reporting award for a story on meeting cancellations in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.
