Cushman & Wakefield Appoints New Retail Leader

By Keith Loria, Contributing Editor

David Gorelick has been hired as the new executive managing director & head of retail for the Americas of Cushman & Wakefield.

David Gorelick

“I’m coming to this position with experience not only on the retailer side, but also from the landlord and investor perspective,” Gorelick told Commercial Property Executive. “In Cushman, I saw an opportunity not only to leverage that skill set but to also make an impact on a platform that I regard as best-in-class. It’ll be an honor and privilege to broaden the reach of the retail platform during this exciting time in the evolution of retail.”

A 15-year veteran of retail leadership experience, Gorelick most recently served as vice president, Simon Property Group, premium outlets, and was responsible for the firm’s 31 million-square-foot portfolio and for identifying and executing the company’s short- and long-term leasing/re-merchandising strategies. 

He also worked for Ralph Lauren, where he held various executive positions including senior director, real estate Europe, based in London; and senior director, real estate U.S. & Canada based in New York. Other experience came from Andrew Buckler, Diesel USA, and Buz Jones in New York; and Liz Claiborne in Los Angeles.

In his new role, Gorelick will be responsible for managing client development and driving the firm’s revenue growth initiatives, including expanding retailer tenant representation and agency leasing services.

“To that end, I’ll work alongside the firm’s retailer, landlord and developer clients to pursue and promote business development opportunities across the company’s related service lines—including leasing, capital markets, valuation and advisory, logistics and industrial, global occupier services, asset services and C&W services,” Gorelick said. “But in a larger sense, my goal is to increase productivity and grow revenue not only for the retail platform, but cross-functionally for the firm as a whole.”

That will happen, he said, by cultivating existing relationships, identifying and seeking out new opportunities and market segments, innovating ways to be a truly cross-platform service provider for those new and prospective clients, and telling the story of what sets Cushman & Wakefield apart from competitors. 

“My goal is really fairly simple: to create synergies across all of Cushman & Wakefield’s platforms in a way that serves our clients in the most cohesive, seamless way possible,” Gorelick said. “There’s no doubt that we’re in the midst of a fascinating time in retail, and our firm’s full-service suite of professional services gives us the ability to help our retail clients find and take full advantage of opportunities in each marketplace—and to create innovative new ones as well. To that end, I’ll be working hand-in-hand with our firm’s supply chain, logistics, and industrial groups to ensure our strategies are aligned to help our clients make sophisticated, strategic choices in this new retail reality.”

Gorelick is an active member of International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and a licensed New York real estate salesperson. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management/Corporate Communication from DePaul University.