ATLANTA—Savills Studley just hired a new executive vice president and market leader for its Atlanta office—and he's not shy about what he's seeing in the local commercial real estate market. Industry veteran Chris White has some definite ideas about how talent fits into the success equation.

“The industry is not just about rental rates, vacancy and square footage absorption anymore,” White tells GlobeSt.com. “You have to understand the drivers of your client. You need to ask about the talent they're trying to attract and where they want their business to be in the next five years. Once the right strategy is in place, then you need to be able to negotiate a great real estate transaction.”

White will subscribe to that philosophy as he works to grow the Savills' Atlanta office into the city's premier tenant representation team. He will focus on metro Atlanta's booming office and industrial markets.