James Young
Head of Investor Services, EMEA & APAC • Singapore
Local Office:
88 Market Street
#47-01 CapitaSpring
Singapore, Singapore 048948
Singapore
James Young
Head of Investor Services, EMEA & APAC • Singapore
Role & Responsibilities
James is Cushman & Wakefield’s Head of Investor Services for the Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) and Asia Pacific (APAC) regions. In this role he is responsible for the growth of the company’s business with investors, funds, landlords and developers across five key divisions – Capital Markets, Agency Leasing, Valuation, Asset Services and Project & Development Services.
As well as leading the firm’s growth with investor clients, he is also responsible for driving consistent, best-in-class advisory and execution services for the firm’s major clients. His significant experience in the industry aids him to effectively and efficiently collaborate and partner with all the geographic and business line services required to meet and exceed investor client service expectations. As such he has become a trusted advisor to many of the world’s largest real estate owners.
James is a member of C&W’s EMEA Executive Committee and Executive Leadership Team, as well as the APAC Executive Committee.
Experience & Qualifications
James has been with C&W for 33 years, joining in 1990, having gained a BSc (Hons) in Estate Management from Oxford Brookes University. He is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and has a Master of Corporate Real Estate from CoreNet.
He became Partner in 1997 and Equity Partner in 2003. He joined C&W’s UK Board in 2006 and the European Executive Council in 2013. Post-merger with DTZ he became an International Partner, joining the EMEA Executive Leadership Team in 2016 and the EMEA Executive Committee in 2019. He was made an Executive Partner in 2019. James also became Head of Investor Services for EMEA in 2019 and added the APAC region to this role in 2023, moving from London to Singapore in early 2023 to better develop the firm’s service in this region.
James is on the Court of the Worshipful Company of Chartered Surveyors, one of the modern livery companies of the City of London, and is also a Freeman of the City of London. He is a trustee of two real estate related charities.
- James has advised the global investment bank Citi for over 15 years, dealing with the disposal of approximately one million sq ft of space across London. This role culminated in the acquisition of Citi’s HQ in Canary Wharf, the largest single-asset transaction in the UK market in 2019.
- He has been responsible for C&W’s work in Europe on behalf of WeWork, leading to over 25 transactions. In addition, he led one of the highest profile transactions in 2019 - WeWork acquiring the European Medicines Agency’s headquarters in Canary Wharf.
- James undertook the largest pre-let transaction in East London in 2017, the 300,000 sq ft disposal of 14 Westfield Avenue, Stratford to HMRC on behalf of Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield.
- James and team dealt with one of the largest City of London pre-lets (600,000 sq ft) to Amazon at Principal Place in the City of London, on behalf of Brookfield Office Properties. CoStar’s City Deal of the Year 2015.
- Acting for Canary Wharf Group, one of the firm’s key London investor clients, he dealt with the disposal of Becket House, Waterloo (145,000 sq ft) to Bouygues. CoStar’s Southbank Deal of the Year for 2016.
- James advised EY on the acquisition of their Canary Wharf office at 25 Churchill Place (207,000 sq ft) which included negotiating a take-back of 145,000 sq ft of surplus space.This was one of the most complex and largest London deals of 2014. CoStar’s Docklands Deal of the Year for 2014.
- James’s City of London team were hand-picked by J.P. Morgan to deal with the strategic disposal of their legacy portfolio of buildings, following the bank’s move to Canary Wharf in 2012.The disposal of almost 750,000 sq ft of space was an unprecedented achievement in the challenging, post-financial crisis landscape.
- He has overseen the strategic direction of the office portfolio of Sainsbury’s, the major UK retailer. This involved building acquisitions and the right-sizing of their portfolio across the UK, including their HQ at Holborn.
- James’s landlord portfolio includes some of the world’s top investors / developers, including Brookfield, Blackstone, Canary Wharf Group, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Union Investment, Pembroke, Derwent London and Great Portland Estates.
- James has an impressive track record of advising blue-chip occupier clients, including Citi, MSCI, O’Melveny & Myers, DTCC, Westfield, Sainsbury’s, VTB Bank and many others.
What's new
Coventry University Sells 627-Bed First Generation Halls of Residence To Frogmore
Advised by Cushman & Wakefield, Coventry University has sold a 627-bed first-generation halls of residence with significant asset management opportunities for an undisclosed sum to Frogmore.
01/08/2023
Grade A Accounts For Two Thirds Of Q1 Central London Office Take Up
Central London office occupiers’ focus on the best quality workplaces intensified in Q1 2023 with Grade A space accounting for two-thirds of leasing activity – the highest quarterly proportion since Q3 2018, according to global real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield.
Richard Coleman • 25/05/2023
Cushman & Wakefield Appoints New Hospitality Sector Lead for UK & Ireland
Cushman & Wakefield has named Ed Fitch as Head of Hospitality UK & Ireland. In this new role, Fitch will be responsible for delivering best in class solutions for Cushman & Wakefield’s hospitality sector clients across its core service lines of Capital Markets, Development & Investor Services.
Richard Coleman • 24/04/2023
Sources Of Demand Evolving As UK Logistics & Industrial Take Up Reverts Towards Medium Term Average
Logistics and industrial occupiers leased and acquired 8.6 million sq ft of space in the UK during the first quarter of 2023, according to real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield.
Lauren Joselyn • 11/04/2023
The Race For The Best Office Space: Fit Out Costs Across Europe Rise 9%
The UK and Germany top the list of most expensive regions to fit out an office with costs expected to remain high in the near term before falling in 2024.
Lauren Joselyn • 05/04/2023
Cushman & Wakefield Releases European Macro Outlook for Multiple Asset Sectors
Cushman & Wakefield releases its European Macro Outlook, forecasting they expect a mild recession to occur in the U.K. and the euro area in the first half of 2023, followed by improving growth in the latter half as the macro headwinds begin to fade.
09/03/2023
Office Leasing Activity Up 4% in ‘Big Six’ Regional Markets in 2022
New data from real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield reveals that regional office leasing activity is following the trends seen in London and is demonstrating structural shifts in office demand.
16/02/2023
Year-End Central London Office Leasing Figures Show a Changing Landscape
Year-End Central London Office Leasing Figures Show a Changing Landscape
14/02/2023
European Offices Recapture Their Momentum With Leasing Activity Up 15%
Market analysis from real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield shows that Europe’s office leasing markets are in rude health as they reap the benefits of markets fully reopening from Covid-related restrictions.
13/02/2023
Page Group acquires 40,000 sq ft London HQ at 80 Strand
FTSE 250 recruitment business, Page Group has signed the lease for a new London HQ at the iconic 80 Strand in Covent Garden.
02/02/2023
Cushman & Wakefield Expands UK Research & Insight Team
Cushman & Wakefield has appointed Kiran Patel as an Associate Director within its UK Research & Insight team, focusing on the offices sector.
24/01/2023
Cushman & Wakefield Strengthens Residential Development Team
Cushman & Wakefield has expanded its land, development and planning team in Leeds with the appointment of Matt Brear as Associate Director.
12/01/2023
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