CushWake pulls heavy-hitters to its side from CBRE

Robert Given
Robert Given

Chalk one up for Cushman & Wakefield.

The commercial brokerage just hired away CBRE’s Robert Given and his investment sales team, who have closed more than $20 billion in deals over the past 13 years.

Cushman & Wakefield announced Wednesday that Given, who’s spent more than a decade with CBRE and consistently ranked as a top producer for the firm, has switched sides and brought eight teammates with him.

His new role at Cushman & Wakefield will be much the same as it was at CBRE. His title of vice chairman, for instance, has been maintained in the switch. And his team will still specialize in representing private and institutional owners who want to sell their multifamily properties, developable land and structured equity finance.

Some of his most notable deals during Given’s 13-year tenure at CBRE include representing the seller of the W Fort Lauderdale when Stephen Ross’ Related Companies bought it in 2014, and more recently, marketing Doral’s White Course for its $96 million sale in April.

Sign Up for the undefined Newsletter

A request for comment to Given was not immediately returned.

Luring Given marks a major win for Cushman & Wakefield, which has worked to bolster its share of the Southeastern multifamily market in recent months. Just last month, the brokerage acquired Atlanta-based Multi Housing Advisors. Combined, they handled roughly 20 percent of all multifamily deals in the Southeastern U.S. last year — a figure it readily compared to CBRE’s 15.7 percent share in its announcement of the acquisition.

Cushman & Wakefield has also grown its presence in South Florida over the past year, adding about 70 agents to the brokerage’s roster here since its $2 billion merger with its rival DTZ.

Here are the eight teammates Given brought with him:

  • Executive Managing Director Zachary Sackley
  • Executive Managing Director Calum Weaver
  • Director Neal Victor
  • Senior Financial Analyst Perry Synanidis
  • Senior Financial Analyst James Quinn
  • Financial Analyst Aaron Mandel
  • Client Services professional Brant Long
  • Client Services professional Elizabeth Rogerio

— Sean Stewart-Muniz