Savills Snags David Mahoney From CBRE

Savills has snagged veteran Chicago office leasing broker and soccer champ David Mahoney from CBRE.

Mahoney joins the London-based tenant representation firm’s Windy City shop fresh off representing law firm Winston & Strawn in a deal to occupy 148,000 square feet at 300 North LaSalle Street. He also represented John Deere in a lease for more than 38,000 square feet at 800 West Fulton Street in 2021.

“David is an incredibly active broker in the market and particularly over the last year, he was involved in many high-profile transactions,” George Kohl, a regional executive with Savills, said in a statement. “We are looking forward to tapping into his industry expertise as occupiers now more than ever are seeking timely and strategic guidance.”

Mahoney has more than 15 years of experience and has closed on transactions totaling $1.5 billion, according to Savills. He joined CBRE from U.S. Equities Realty in 2014, when the latter firm was acquired. He wasn’t available for an interview Tuesday, and a CBRE spokesman did not immediately return a request for comment on his departure.

Prior to his real estate career, Mahoney was a professional soccer player, including as a goalkeeper for the Chicago Fire and a member of the franchise’s 2006 U.S. Open Cup championship team.

Savills also recently added Brian Czarnecki, who came from industrial landlord Prologis, to its ranks.

The brokerage’s revenue was down by about 2.5 percent this year, according to a report covering the first half of 2023, a modest decline given the major slowdown in commercial transactions due to high interest rates and a tight lending environment.

The brokerage relied on what it calls its “less transactional businesses” such as consultancy and property and facilities management. Revenue from transaction advisory was down 20 percent, according to the brokerage, while property and facilities management revenue was up 16 percent.