Leading property expert Gareth Fraser has been promoted to Chief Executive Officer of Colliers New Zealand.
The change comes into effect from 1 May when long-time CEO Mark Synnott will move into an Executive Chairman role.
Fraser will be responsible for continuing the ambitious growth of Colliers’ business in New Zealand. He is a valued member of the New Zealand Executive Team, having over 20 years of industry experience in Real Estate Management Services, Occupier Services, Investment Sales, and property finance and banking in both Australia and New Zealand.
Having led the Auckland Investment Sales team since 2015, Fraser says he’s excited about what the future holds.
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“I am looking forward to leading Colliers in New Zealand and accelerating the success of our clients and our people,” Fraser says.
“Working closely with Mark in his new role as Executive Chairman will ensure a smooth transition and help our clients navigate the current dynamic market conditions.”
Synnott joined Colliers in 1989 and began in the office leasing space before ascending to the CEO role, which he has held for 29 years as the organisation established itself as an industry-leading professional services and investment management firm.
“It has been an honour to lead the New Zealand business for several decades, being a part of our clients’ growth and helping shape the careers of many property professionals,” Synnott says.
“Gareth is the perfect candidate to take over as CEO, to continue our growth, bringing new ideas and a focus on building relationships with our key clients.”
John Kenny, Chief Executive Officer Colliers Asia Pacific, says Colliers has a strong presence in all major cities across New Zealand.
“Mark Synnott has spent the better part of the past 30 years building our brand and enterprising culture into one of the most successful professional services companies in this market. Mark will continue to guide the business helping our people and clients to accelerate their success in his new role as Executive Chairman.”
These new appointments mean David Burley has been promoted to the Auckland Director of Investment Sales role that was previously held by Fraser.
Burley has extensive experience in the property sector having joined Colliers in 2016 from investment bank Grant Samuel. Prior to a stint in banking, he worked as a lawyer for Ropes & Gray in London and Bell Gully in Auckland.
He was the Colliers and REINZ Rookie of the Year in his first year of brokerage and has gone on to achieve notable success, underpinned by a number of high-profile deals.
The change in leadership caps a busy period for Colliers who recently announced their acquisition of Greenstone Group, a highly respected project management and property advisory firm who have rebranded as Colliers Project Leaders.
Synnott says the acquisition will bolster Colliers’ existing Project Leaders service offering and complement their award-winning Strategic Advisory team.
“This represents an exciting new phase for Colliers in New Zealand as we build our capacity in the Project Leaders service line and add more highly skilled experts to our team.
“We are proud to partner with the Greenstone Group and look forward to what we can achieve in the future.”
- Article supplied by Colliers
