Chris Brooke Leaving CBRE as Management Churn Continues

Chris Brooke, former head of CBRE’s China operations, and more recently the director of its consulting division for Asia Pacific, is leaving the real estate agency after 12 years.

Brooke’s resignation was announced in an email to clients from CBRE APAC Executive Chairman Rob Blain dated Wednesday, and is the third major change revealed to the agency’s senior management in Asia over the last few weeks.

Former CBRE China Chief Leaves After 12 Years

Originally joining CBRE in 2003, after the US firm bought Insignia Brooke, the Hong Kong-based agency started by his parents, Nick and Margaret Brooke, Chris Brooke ran the company’s mainland China operations starting in 2005.

However, in 2013, with CBRE China said by insiders to be suffering unexpected losses and with the company said to have failed to establish sustained profitability during his tenure, Brooke left his role as CEO and chairman of CBRE China, and was transferred back to CBRE’s Hong Kong office. Back in Hong Kong, Brooke was given responsibility for the company’s real estate consulting business in Asia Pacific.

Now Brooke’s tenure in that position is coming to a close, although Blain’s announcement did make clear that Brooke would maintain a consulting relationship with the company after his last day of employment on December 31^st of this year.

Brooke’s parents operate Hong Kong-based real estate consultancy Professional Property Services Ltd.

Third Major CBRE Management Change This Month

The announcement of Brooke’s departure comes less than one week after Blain told CBRE staff in an internal memo that China president Ivan Poon would leave the company effective last Friday. Brooke had originally hired Poon, who previously had no professional experience in the real estate industry, to serve as CBRE’s China president when Brooke was the firm’s mainland chairman and CEO.

Late last month Australian media sources revealed that Craig Shute, the head of CBRE’s offices in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau would be leaving the property agency to head up the real estate division of the airport authority in Adelaide, Australia.

The company installed Ben Duncan as its president for North Asia one year ago, and has announced that the former head of CBRE Japan will take direct responsibility for its Greater China operations following the departure of Poon and Shute.