Avison Young opens new office in Berlin, Germany

Fast-growing Canadian commercial real estate services firm opens fifth office in Germany; Nicolai Baumann becomes head of leasing; five members join

TORONTO, July 6, 2016 /CNW/ - Mark E. Rose, Chair and CEO of Avison Young, the world's fastest-growing commercial real estate services firm, announced today that the company has opened a new office in Berlin, Germany.

The new Berlin office represents Avison Young's fifth office in Germany, ninth office in Europe, and an additional step in the company's ongoing aggressive global growth and expansion strategy.

Over the past seven years, Avison Young has grown from 11 to, now, 78 offices in 71 markets and from 300 to more than 2,400 real estate professionals in Canada, the U.S., Mexico and Europe. 

Effective immediately, Nicolai Baumann becomes Head of Leasing in Berlin. He will also head up Avison Young's office agency operations in the German capital and focus on implementing the firm's growth strategy in the region through recruitment and acquisition. Baumann brings 14 years of commercial real estate experience to Avison Young, most recently as a team leader with Engel & Völkers Commercial in Berlin.

Also joining Avison Young in Berlin are Sebastian Scherer, Katharina Biermann, Sanja Palija and Nadine Makinist. Scherer joins Avison Young as Director of Leasing in Berlin and will continue to focus on his specialty of landlord and tenant representation while working closely with Baumann. He was most recently an office leasing consultant at Angermann Real Estate Advisory AG.

Biermann and Palija join as senior consultants and will also provide advisory services to office landlords and tenants. They were most recently consultants at Engel & Völkers Commercial in Berlin. Makinist joins Avison Young as an administrative assistant. She previously worked as an office leasing assistant at Angermann Real Estate Advisory AG.

"We are delighted to announce our fifth German office opening within the past 18 months," comments Rose. "This opening represents another milestone in our European expansion strategy and gives us a strong presence in the nation's capital. We're thrilled to have Nicolai, Sebastian and the rest of the team furthering our German expansion program in Berlin."

Rose continues: "With Nicolai leading the way, the new Berlin office will complement our rapidly growing Frankfurt, Munich, Duesseldorf and Hamburg operations. The new office will also further strengthen our position in the heart of Europe, and enhance our ability to negotiate multi-market transactions on both sides of the Atlantic."

The Berlin opening follows the launch of Avison Young's German operations in Frankfurt on December 1, 2014, new Munich office on January 21, 2015, new Duesseldorf office on March 19, 2015, and new Hamburg office on June 16, 2015. The total head count of Avison Young´s German operation has increased to 50 over the past 18 months.

Baumann will work closely with Managing Directors Udo Stoeckl (Germany), Markus Bruckner (Munich), Stephan Heinen (Duesseldorf), Frank Loeblein (Frankfurt) and Thomas Loeffler (Hamburg).

"Before entering any market, and particularly a nation's capital, a full-service company like ours must have proven leaders and local market experts in place," notes Stoeckl. "We have recruited very accomplished professionals in Nicolai, Sebastian and the rest of the team. Their presence demonstrates that our German expansion strategy remains highly effective and continues to gain strength as we steadily explore new markets in Europe. Ultimately, this new office will create more growth opportunities for our clients in all of the markets that we serve."

Stoeckl adds: "The new Berlin team has tremendous local, national and international office leasing experience and will provide our clients with best-in-class service in Berlin and beyond. Furthermore, the new office will increase our services for domestic investors within Germany and develop positive client and business relationships that will enable us to represent more German investors who are active in the North American marketplace as well as the U.K."

Effective immediately, Avison Young's new Berlin office is located at Kurfürstendamm 195 in Berlin's central business district.

Avison Young launched its European presence in April 2014 when the firm acquired NAI Haywards and opened new offices in London and Thames Valley, U.K.

"I'm excited to start a new chapter in my career with Avison Young and play a leading role in the launch of our new Berlin office," says Baumann. "Our experienced team is ready to serve new and existing clients on a local, national and international basis, and we look forward to collaborating with our new colleagues in Germany, the U.K. and across North America. I know I speak on behalf of Sebastian, Katharina, Sanja and Nadine when I say that we will bring a high level of spirit to our new company and the Berlin marketplace."

Berlin is Germany's capital and its largest city, with a population of approximately 3.5 million. The region's industries include automaking, railway technology, other goods production and services; transport, mobility and logistics; health care; information and communications technology, media and creative; and energy and environmental technologies and phototonics. Several leading international companies, including Bombardier, Deutsche Bahn, Oracle, Viacom and Axel Springer, are located in Berlin. The city is also the country's hotspot for the digital economy and is sometimes dubbed by the media as the German Silicon Valley.

The region is home to several leading universities, including Humboldt University of Berlin, Technical University of Berlin, HTW Berlin University of Applied Sciences, Berlin University of the Arts, Berlin School of Economics and Law, Beuth University of Applied Sciences and the European School of Management and Technology. In 2015, Berlin had a take-up of 820,000 square metres of office space and a volume of €8.2 billion in commercial real estate traded assets, according to statistics compiled by Avison Young.

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Biographies

Nicolai Baumann
Nicolai Baumann brings 14 years of commercial real estate experience to Avison Young, most recently as a team leader with Engel & Völkers Commercial in Berlin. His duties there included leading a team of 18 real estate professionals, recruiting new leasing brokers, managing the team's lease negotiations, implementing marketing plans and serving as a consultant for international clients. Prior to joining Engel & Völkers Commercial, Baumann was a principal consultant, specializing in office leasing, with Jones Lang LaSalle GmbH in Berlin (2012-2014), where he was responsible for attracting new clients, and obtaining exclusive lease listings from landlords and exclusive search mandates from tenants. Baumann has also held senior office leasing consultant positions in Berlin with Cushman & Wakefield GmbH (2010-11) and CBRE GmbH (2006-2010), and worked as an office leasing consultant with Savills GmbH (2003-2005) and CBRE (2002-2003).

Baumann holds a degree in real estate management from the International Real Estate Business School and is an active member of the Salem International College Alumni Association. Salem is an elite boarding school in Germany where Baumann passed his A-level exams. He is also a member of the Association of Berlin Merchants and Industrialists (VBKI).

Sebastian Scherer
Sebastian Scherer brings eight years of commercial real estate experience to Avison Young, most recently as an office leasing consultant with Angermann Real Estate Advisory AG in Berlin. In that role, he obtained exclusive office lease listings, attracted new clients and co-ordinated the firm's online office space marketing. Prior to joining Angermann in 2010, Scherer was a residential asset manager with Becker & Kries Immobilien Management GmbH & Co. in Berlin.

Scherer holds a degree in real estate management from the International Real Estate Business School and is a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

Avison Young is the world's fastest-growing commercial real estate services firm. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, Avison Young is a collaborative, global firm owned and operated by its principals. Founded in 1978, the company comprises 2,400 real estate professionals in 78 offices, providing value-added, client-centric investment sales, leasing, advisory, management, financing and mortgage placement services to owners and occupiers of office, retail, industrial and multi-family properties.

For further information/comment/photos:

• Sherry Quan, Principal, Global Director of Communications & Media Relations, Avison Young: 604.647.5098; cell: 604.726.0959
  
  
• Mark Rose, Chair and CEO, Avison Young: 416.673.4028

In Germany, please contact:

• Udo Stoeckl, Principal and Managing Director, Germany, Avison Young: [phone]
  
  
• Nicolai Baumann, Head of Leasing, Berlin, Avison Young: [phone]

Avison Young's new Berlin office is located at: Kurfürstendamm 195, 10707 Berlin

www.avisonyoung.com

Avison Young was a winner of Canada's Best Managed Companies program in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 and requalified in 2015 to maintain its status as a Best Managed Gold company

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• Editors/Reporters
Please click on links to view and download photos of Nicolai Baumann and Sebastian Scherer:
http://www.avisonyoung.com/sites/default/files/content-files/Media_Room/Temp/Nicolai_Baumann.jpg
http://www.avisonyoung.com/sites/default/files/content-files/Media_Room/Temp/Sebastian_Scherer.png

SOURCE Avison Young Commercial Real Estate (BC)

For further information: Media Relations: Sherry Quan, 604.647.5098 or 604.726.0959, [email protected]