Â鶹ӳ»­

As the new head of CBRE EMEA, Martin Samworth is getting to grips with ‘a far-flung business with lots of moving parts'

The appointment of Martin Samworth as CBRE’s new managing director for EMEA at the beginning of this year marks a clear choice for continuity. Like Michael Strong, who remains at the helm as executive chairman, Samworth is a Brit and previously held the reins of the company’s UK business.

By con-trast, CBRE’s nearest competitor Jones Lang LaSalle broke with tradition in 2009 by appointing a German at the head of its London-based European business and Cushman & Wakefield followed suit in 2012 with an Italian nobleman. While Samworth is not bi- or multi-lingual like JLL’s Christian Ulbrich or C&W’s Carlo Sant’ Albano, he is relishing the opportunity to practise his French and German since assuming his new role at the beginning of this year. ‘I’m constantly on and off planes. But I need to work harder at my languages,’ he confessed in an interview with PropertyEU. In his role as executive chairman, Strong retains overall responsibility for the EMEA region, leading the strate-gic development and direction of the company, with a particular focus on capital markets, cross-border work, clients, research and marketing. He sees his role as working with Samworth to ensure the continued success of the European business. This is a far more complex task today than it was just a decade ago, he pointed out in a recent interview. ‘The European business is diverse and has lots of moving parts. I have worked with Martin for over 10 years as he successfully led the UK business through one of the toughest market cycles we have seen and I am looking forward to working with him to con-tinue that success in EMEA in the years to come.’ Command of foreign languages may not be Samworth’s strongest point, but he is by no means a stranger to CBRE’s European business. In his previous role as head of CBRE’s UK business, he has sat on the EMEA board since 2003. ‘I am well acquainted with the broader EMEA operation. In that sense, the transition has been quite smooth.’Samworth’s appointment has by all accounts been more of an evolution than a revolution. Strong’s role has been redefined following the creation of his own new position as managing director EMEA, he noted. ‘Our new roles help to reiterate our partnership. We know each other well and have already worked together very closely. The creation of these new roles is part of a natural evolution for all of us, for us as individuals and the business.’ Nevertheless, the diversity of the business is certainly magazinechallenging, Samworth conceded.

Click on the link below for the full interview with Martin Samworth and Michael Strong (Premium Content)

PropertyEU Magazine June 2013 no. 5