Cushman & Wakefield global president John Forrester
Cushman & Wakefield today promoted former EMEA chief John Forrester to the role of global president, giving the former DTZ Co-Chief Executive for EMEA day-to-day operational and management oversight of the firm’s four global regions of the Americas, EMEA, APAC, and Greater China.
The global role, working closely with C&W CEO Brett White, will be based in London.
“We have been growing on all fronts, making acquisitions, adding services, and taking market share. Now is the time to ensure we have the right people in place to drive us forward for the next phase of our growth,” White said in a statement.
“John is a remarkable leader who has run large, complex organizations, has extensive knowledge of global real estate markets and is a trusted advisor to leading global occupiers and investors,” White added. “He is ideally placed to ensure our regional businesses work together effectively to capitalize on the increasingly global nature of client requirements and opportunities.”
New APAC Chief Appointed
Matthew Bouw takes over as APAC chief for Cushman & Wakefield
On the same day that the new global team was rolled out, C&W introduced Matthew Bouw as its new Chief Executive Officer for Asia Pacific, effective December 1.
The Australian native who previously served as the company’s global chief administrative officer succeeds Stuart Roberts in the top regional role. Mingtiandi reported in late October that Roberts had left the company, after serving as APAC chief executive since February 2015.
Bouw is now responsible for leading the firm’s 7000 employees across 70 offices in 11 Asia Pacific countries. It is not yet clear where he will be based, after working out of the company’s global headquarters office in Chicago, Illinois for over three years.
Cushman & Wakefield’s operations in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan are said to be reporting separately to Edward Cheung, APAC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for Greater China at the company.
Top-Three Real Estate Firm Sees Leadership Changes
“It is a privilege to lead the Asia Pacific business of Cushman & Wakefield and I am excited by the prospects and potential of this region,” Bouw commented in a company statement.
“Asia Pacific presents tremendous opportunity and potential for both our staff and clients,” noted White in the statement. “Coupled with the increasing prominence of Asian investors and corporations in both the regional and global arena, we expect positive business sentiment and momentum to continue to underpin the overall growth of the region and our business.”
In addition to the APAC and global moves, C&W is seeing new leadership in all its regions. Former head of the company’s eastern US operations Shawn Mobley bas been promoted to CEO of the Americas region of Cushman & Wakefield, according to a Chicago Tribune report, citing sources. Mobley is replacing Tod Lickerman, who has stepped down.
HR Pro Takes Charge in Asia
Bouw has been with Cushman & Wakefield and its predecessor firms through a series of mergers for over six years, having joined Australian engineering company UGL Limited in mid-2011, before it acquired European real estate consultancy DTZ.
From early 2014, Bouw led the global human resources function for DTZ, with oversight over marketing and research. The company become Cushman & Wakefield following a September 2015 merger that created a global top-three commercial real estate services firm with $6 billion in annual revenue.
Bouw brings over 20 years of experience to the new job, ranging from real estate, finance and professional services, to engineering, construction, and mining services, at companies including PricewaterhouseCoopers, Aviva, Orica, and Leighton.
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