SAN JOSE, CA—Cushman & Wakefield has reorganized and expanded its data center team to encompass valuation and advisory services, tapping appraisal veteran Gene Williams to lead the expanded valuation & advisory data center team, the firm said Wednesday. Based in San Jose, Williams, a senior director with Cushman & Wakefield, brings over 25 years' appraisal experience to his new responsibilities.

“By leveraging the capabilities within valuation & advisory, and the expertise of our specialized data center brokerage professionals, we can excel at the full spectrum of complex real estate needs our clients demand,” says Williams. Nicole Urquhart-Bradley, the firm's president of valuation & advisory in the Americas, says that Williams was “the natural choice to take our data center practice to the next level,” in view of his “excellent reputation, depth of experience and market presence in the Silicon Valley.”

With the expansion of the team, the firm is reportedly the first global real estate services provider to offer a full complement of valuation services to meet the needs of owners, operators and lenders focused on the data center asset class. Along with real estate appraisal, the group now offers machinery and equipment valuations, purchase price allocations and cost segregation services.