Avison Young has announced that it has entered the French property market with the acquisition of Cassian, an asset and investment management group company in France.
Cassian will continue to operate under its brand for a period, delivering real estate investment and asset management as well as development and investment services as an Avison Young company, while it integrates its business with Avison Young Investment Management. Cassian’s managers Giles Wintle, Will Woodhead and Steve Woodward join as principals at Avison Young.
‘France is one of the strongest markets in Continental Europe and an important piece of our growth strategy as we expand to where our clients need us to be to transform their assets to adapt to changing investment metrics, respond to a dynamic market context, and align to changing occupier requirements,’ said Mark Rose, Chair and CEO, Avison Young. ‘The addition of the Cassian team is the first step for us in France, fitting into our strategy of bringing on board leading professionals with a well-established market presence and an entrepreneurial outlook.’
The Cassian acquisition builds on the firm’s investment management expertise across Canada, with strong ties to the French market, the US, and Germany. Avison Young Investment Management delivered strong returns for clients in 2020, landing among the top 20 managers globally according to an analysis by MSCI Enterprise Analytics.
Giles Wintle, Principal, Avison Young – France said: ‘We are excited to become part of the Avison Young group, this transaction enables Cassian to progress to the next step of its development. Adding such a global network to the Cassian partners’ 75 years of collective experience in investment, asset and project management, will enable us to better serve our clients over a broader range of projects.’
