CBRE appoints head of international investment for the UK

Global real estate advisor CBRE has appointed Chris Brett as head of International Investment for its UK business.

In this newly created role, Brett will advise international investors seeking to access commercial real estate opportunities in all sectors in London and the wider UK market. He will also contribute to the broader CBRE EMEA Capital Markets service, which advises investors on investment opportunities across the region.

He joins from LaSalle Investment Management where he was European head of Strategic Partnerships, working as part of the global client services team focussed on relationships with major institutional investors with a particular focus on Asia and the Middle East.

London captured €9.8 bn, or 36%, of all cross-regional investor activity which amounted to €127 bn in 2012. Within this, Asian investors accounted for over £2.6 bn of London transactions in 2012, second only to the US. The figure for 2012 is double that of 2011, and four times that of 2010.

'While global real estate investors continue to acknowledge London as one of the most liquid, stable and prestigious markets, they are now also turning to opportunities across the UK and in other key European markets,' said Simon Blake, head of Capital Markets, UK, CBRE.