Cushman & Wakefield COO Joseph Harbert has jumped ship for Colliers International, the Seattle-based brokerage looking to raise its New York City profile, Crain’s reported. Harbert will lead Colliers’ expansion into new sectors such as retail and capital markets, and serve as president of the Eastern region. The veteran broker had also previously worked for CBRE, Crain’s said.
“The company has great people and they want to grow the business,” Harbert told Crain’s. “We can differentiate ourselves through personalized service and real focus on the customers.”
Dylan Taylor, CEO of the U.S. division of Colliers, was also positive about Colliers’ ability to attract other top brokers. “A lot of the large firms are difficult to navigate for the large producers because there are a lot of constraints, policies and rules,” Taylor told Crain’s. “We have the size and scope of those firms [but] an easier platform on which to conduct business.”
Jim Underhill , CEO of the Americas for Cushman, said in a statement that the company wishes Harbert well but added that “at the same time, we have ambitious plans to grow our New York operation aggressively as we have elsewhere around the country.” [Crain’s]