CBRE’s Rudin to Depart for Brookfield

June 6, 2011
By Barbra Murray, Contributing Editor

Commercial real estate services firm CB Richard Ellis will soon bid a fond farewell to Mitchell Rudin, president & CEO of the New York tri-state region. Rudin, who has held the position for the last seven of his 21 years at CBRE, will leave the world of commercial real estate services to take on the role of president & CEO of U.S. commercial operations at Brookfield Office Properties, a leading owner, developer and manager of premier office properties in the U.S., Canada and Australia.

“It is never an easy decision to leave a place as special as CBRE, but I was presented with a rare and exciting opportunity by [Brookfield CEO] Ric Clark and Brookfield Office Properties and I felt the time was right to take on new responsibilities and challenges in development,” Rudin said. Rudin will leave CBRE at the end of June with goodwill and the promise of a future relationship with his longtime employers once he’s on the development side of the commercial real estate business. “Under Mitch’s leadership, CBRE has clearly achieved unrivaled status in New York and throughout the Tri-State area,” added Mike Lafitte, president, CBRE Americas. “While we are saddened to lose a colleague and friend, we are excited for him and look forward to continuing to work with him as a client.”

At Brookfield, Rudin will step into the shoes of Dennis Friedrich, whose promotion was just announced today along with that of three others as part of Brookfield’s global expansion, executive planning and advancement pursuits. “We couldn’t have found a better fit because Mitch has many years of experience in New York, where we have a large presence,” Melissa Coley, vice president of investor relations with Brookfield, told CPE. “He has a solid reputation and he’s a great leader. We won’t miss a beat as Dennis moves up to the global level.”

Friedrich has been promoted to Brookfield’s president and global chief investment officer, a new position at the company, and will be responsible for acquisitions and development in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Australia. Thomas F. Farley also moved up the ladder from president & CEO of Brookfield Office Properties Canada to president and global chief operating officer of Brookfield Office Properties, also a newly created position. Additionally, Jan Sucharda has moved ahead from his role of COO of the developer’s Canadian commercial operations to that of president and CEO of Canadian commercial operations at Brookfield Office Properties and Brookfield Office Properties Canada.