James Young
Head of Investor Services, EMEA & APAC • 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
European Real Estate Market Gaining Momentum Heading into 2025
Improving economic indicators such as GDP growth and resilient labour markets, coupled with more favourable financing conditions, are set to provide positive momentum for the European real estate market in 2025, according to Cushman & Wakefield’s ’EMEA Outlook 2025’ report.
Richard Coleman • 11/12/2024
Cushman & Wakefield Appoints Capital Markets Heavyweight James Dunne As Head Of UK Living
Cushman & Wakefield has continued its expansion in the Living sector with the appointment of capital markets heavyweight James Dunne as its Head of UK Living.
15/11/2024
Take-Up of London Grade A Office Space Exceeds Pre-Pandemic Levels by 4%
New data from global real estate advisor Cushman & Wakefield highlights the continued and sustained appeal of Grade A office space in Central London, as leasing take-up volumes exceed the pre-pandemic five-year quarterly average by 4% in Q3 2024.
15/11/2024
Cushman & Wakefield Appoints New Head of Central London Development
Cushman & Wakefield has appointed Henry Fellows as its new Head of Central London Development.
Lauren Joselyn • 06/11/2024
Cushman & Wakefield to Acquire Its Affiliate In Finland
Global real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire its affiliate in Finland. The deal is expected to complete in January 2025 and is subject to customary closing conditions.
Richard Coleman • 06/11/2024
Cushman & Wakefield Announces New UK Head of Sustainability
Cushman & Wakefield has announced Megan Such as Head of Sustainability for the UK.
06/11/2024
Autumn Budget: Implications for Real Estate
On October 30th 2024, Rachel Reeves became the first female chancellor to deliver a Budget.
Edward Bavister • 30/10/2024
Cushman & Wakefield’s Investment Atlas Identifies Top European Markets For Capital Markets Opportunities
The UK and Germany top a list of European commercial property markets presenting the greatest opportunities for investors, according to Cushman & Wakefield.
Lauren Joselyn • 30/10/2024
Cushman & Wakefield Promotes David Gingell To Co-Head Of EMEA Equity, Debt & Structured Finance
Cushman & Wakefield has promoted David Gingell to Co-Head of its EMEA Equity, Debt & Structured Finance (ED&SF) team.
Richard Coleman • 23/09/2024
Cushman & Wakefield Bolsters Market-leading London Retail & Leisure Team
Global real estate advisors, Cushman & Wakefield has appointed Tors Hayward and Alice Vaughan as Associates within its Central London Retail & Leisure team.
Richard Coleman • 20/09/2024
Sustainable Warehouses Command 19% Price Premium Underlining ‘Flight To Quality’ In European Logistics Investment
Logistics real estate investors are willing to pay nearly a fifth more (19%) for European warehouses with high sustainability credentials (BREEAM Very Good or above) over assets rated below that benchmark, according to Cushman & Wakefield.
Richard Coleman • 12/09/2024
Stronger Q4 Helps UK Logistics & Industrial Sector Return To Pre-Pandemic Activity Levels in 2023
Occupier demand for logistics and industrial space returned to its pre-pandemic norms following a year of tough market conditions, according to newly-published data from global real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield.
09/01/2024
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