LONDON-Colliers International has hired Tony Horrell as CEO for the United Kingdom and Ireland. The locally-board property expert was with Jones Lang LaSalle for 27 years, most recently as international director and head of capital markets in Europe for the Chicago-based firm.

A JLL spokeswoman says the company has no comment on the loss. Chris McLernon, Colliers CEO for Europe, the Middle East and Asia, said Horrell will be an ideal fit for his company. “(Horrell’s) track record of growing a national and regional business will help us grow the Colliers International business in the UK and Ireland to a top-tier position,” McLernon said in a statement.

Horrell spoke with GlobeSt.com about his views of the current global markets. He says as re-pricing stabilizes, international real estate capital flows are continuing to focus upon core, securely-leased assets in big international markets, such as London, Paris, New York, Washington DC and Australia.

“Looking to the future, one will expect increasing interest in the newer growth markets of the world including China, India, South America, etc., albeit the balance of real estate risk versus potential return will be the key question to answer at that point in time. The opportunities will inevitably rise from the pool of indebtedness that surrounds much of the industry in many markets,” Horrell says.