C&W Promotes Gordon Marsden and James Young to Strengthen APAC Investment Team

In a move to upgrade its investor services platform across Asia Pacific, Cushman & Wakefield has announced a pair of promotions with Gordon Marsden stepping up as head of capital markets for the region, and James Young, the company’s current head of investor services for Europe, the Middle East and Africa adding APAC to his territory.

Marsden is relocating from Hong Kong to Singapore to take on his upgraded role leading the expansion of the firm’s regional capital markets business with immediate effect. He will work closely with Francis Li, chairman of the Asia Pacific capital markets board, according to a recent press release by Cushman & Wakefield, while reporting directly to Young.

Young’s promotion, which takes effect 23 January next year, will expand his duties supporting major clients with their investment strategies. Based in London, Young will work alongside Marsden and Dennis Yeo, the company’s head of investor services for logistics and industrial in Asia Pacific.

“These senior leadership appointments further strengthen our investor services platform across Asia Pacific and reflect the ongoing and rapid growth of our brokerage, valuations and project management businesses across the region,” said Matthew Bouw, chief executive officer for Asia Pacific at Cushman & Wakefield.

APAC Moves

In his new role, Marsden will drive the firm’s capital markets strategy for serving regional clients and institutional investors, while working with brokerage teams across Asia Pacific.

“Asia Pacific offers a diverse landscape for investment opportunities, from the developed markets of Japan, Singapore, and Australia to the high-potential emerging markets such as India and Southeast Asia,” said Marsden. “Having sat alongside the market-leading Greater China business for the past 15 years, abundant opportunity will return to that market, and we will be well placed to capture it,” he added.

With more than 15 years of experience providing strategic advice, investor relations, capital raising and brokerage services to real estate clients, Marsden has led divestment campaigns on individual assets and significant portfolios across multiple asset classes. He most recently held the position of regional director of capital markets for Asia Pacific at Cushman & Wakefield.

As head of investor services for APAC and EMEA, Young, who has been with Cushman & Wakefield for 32 years, will foster strategic relationships while focusing on business development, monitoring capital flows and leveraging a strong broker network.

“The EMEA and Asia Pacific regions share many characteristics, comprising established destinations for global capital alongside less mature real estate markets,” said Young. “Having always had a global outlook, I’m excited to expand my role to help support our clients in navigating local market nuances as they seek to allocate capital and maximise returns.”

Young will also maintain a role in the London market, where he specialises in office agency, and provides strategic advice to major clients concerning their property holdings, including advising landlords on both leasing and disposals as well as assisting occupiers with their requirements.

Full Service

“As clients increasingly take a global and more diversified approach to their investment strategy, they look to firms like Cushman & Wakefield that can provide a full suite of investor services locally, regionally, and globally, via a global network of experienced and talented people such as James and Gordon,” said Bouw.

The company’s latest management shuffle came just four months after it promoted Mark Hansen, who relocated from Sydney to Singapore, to international director of capital markets and investment sales in efforts to strengthen its APAC presence.

Cushman & Wakefield’s unaudited revenue for APAC grew 7 percent year-on-year to $960.9 million during the first nine months of 2022, according to the firm’s third quarter results.

As of 31 December 2021, Asia Pacific represented about 13 percent of Cushman & Wakefield’s total revenue, according to its annual report for that year.