LOS ANGELES-Longtime Cushman & Wakefield exec Andy Ratner has joined CB Richard Ellis to lead CBRE's office occupier practice in Greater Los Angeles and Orange County, as well as the firm’s Downtown Los Angeles office. Lew Horne, executive managing director for CBRE’s Greater Los Angeles/Orange County Region, tells GlobeSt.com that the hiring of the former Cushman & Wakefield chief of global consulting is part of a restructuring and strengthening of CBRE's growing office occupier practice as well as its emphasis on integrating all of the company's service lines.

Ratner is a veteran of more than 25 years in the commercial real estate industry. Before he was head of global consulting for Cushman & Wakefield, he built that firm’s consulting advisory discipline. Before that, he led Cushman & Wakefield’s West Coast operations and before that was executive vice president and national director, real estate services, at Cushman Realty Corp. Horne cites Ratner's expertise on issues including leasing strategy, joint venture structuring and carried-equity leasing, build-to-suit financing, synthetic leasing, development feasibility, asset valuation, disposition and acquisition.

Horne observes that Ratner's appointment comes at a time when "corporate confidence continues to grow and companies are becoming more active in making long-term real estate decisions post-recession." Corporate clients today, Horne says, "want a broader perspective, and more insight based on multiple points of view rather than just finding property and servicing individual property needs."

Strengthening the leadership of the occupier practice is also a means of providing more support for CBRE professionals in the field, Horne says. "There is a deeper recognition by our professionals in the field today that they need more from their platform because their clients are demanding more," he says.

As part of the reorganization and integration of services, Horne explained to GlobeSt.com, "We're moving our region into a geographic presence but also functional leadership roles in our organization, so that through this and through technology, we can transport talent beyond traditional geography. We believe that, with Andy, we will be able to export his expertise to multiple markets around the Western United States."

Jim Underhill, CEO of the Americas for Cushman & Wakefield, commented regarding Ratner's move: "Andy is a good guy, and he has many friends at C&W. We made some organizational changes focused on continuing the growth of our global consulting practice that allowed him the opportunity to consider new opportunities. I hope he now finds himself in a role that will be rewarding and personally satisfying. We wish him well."

Ratner says that he is joining CBRE "at a time of great opportunity for corporate clients in the real estate market." Ratner has had "tremendous success in representing major global corporations on complex occupancy requirements across the country," says Horne, who adds, "Andy has been a friendly competitor for years and years, so we believe that not only his personal skills but his leadership will propel us into the next level."