Thorne quits CBRE to join industrial specialists
Jonathan Thorne, director of CBRE Liverpool, has resigned and will rejoin his former colleagues at the start-up industrial agency B8 Real Estate.
B8 Real Estate was established last year by former CBRE directors Howard George, Tom Davis and Simon Wood. The Daresbury-based partnership advises on investment, occupation, asset management and professional mediation.
Davis, Wood and George left CBRE at the end of 2010 after the completion of a three-year earn-out period following CBRE's acquisition of their DGi Davis George business in 2007. Thorne worked at DGi and joined CBRE as part of the takeover nearly five years ago.
George told Place: "Jon will join us as an equity partner and be very much involved in the business. We have still got plans to grow a bit more if we can find the right calibre of people."
Current clients of B8 include Royal London Asset Management, Threadneedle, Prudential and F&C.
CBRE's North West staff were told yesterday that Thorne had resigned and would be joining B8 in due course. Thorne has now gone on a period of 'gardening leave' and will join B8 in the coming months.
Christine Hanson, chairman of the Northern regions, told staff: "Mike Walker will continue to head the North West Industrial Department and will be spending increased time in our Liverpool office.
"I wish Jon well for the future and thank him for his contribution to CBRE over the last few years."
As well as the industrial guys, office specialist Nick Rice, formerly managing director of Liverpool, left CBRE in recent weeks to set up his own consultancy.
Quelle surprise!
By nick
Seems to have been a lot of comings and goings at CBRE recently. Get the impression it is not a happy ship. Think working for them organisation must mean the better people want to get away and focus solely on client care. Or are they clearing the decks for the muted GVA takeover?
By Mike
Good observation Mike, I think you may be right
By chris
When does Paul Cook start?
By Fred
I think clearing the decks is a bit wide of the mark, as by all accounts Thorne was being lined up to head up the Liverpool office before he resigned. I agree it will be very interesting to see who the next recruit will be…
By Daniel
This isnt an exercise in clearing the decks, Jon Thorne was always going to go back to DGi/B8re. I am told they tried hard to keep him.
By me
this was an easy but brave choice by Jon easy because he has made the jump from being an employee to business owner. CBRE have a cracking team with Darren and Paul overseen by Mike and they will continue to do great business. i think if you look at the calibre of Jon’s business partners you will all appreciate this is a shrewd business move by Jon!
By Andrew Littler