CBRE's next global head of retail research is a former leasing broker who has spent the past few years as an academic.

CBRE has hired Meghann Martindale as its next global head of retail research, the firm said Monday. A regular guest lecturer and adjunct instructor at New York University's Schack Institute of Real Estate for the past four years, Martindale will replace Melina Cordero, who was recently named CBRE's managing director of retail capital markets for the Americas.

She previously worked at CBRE as a leasing and sales associate in San Francisco from 2001 to 2006, and has since worked in leasing for Simon Property, Related Urban and Terranomics Retail Services on both coasts, according to a release. She has also worked as a consultant, and has leased in excess of 15M SF.

“Meghann is the perfect choice to continue CBRE’s analysis of consumer preferences, retail innovations, economic shifts and how each factor will shape retail real estate in the future,” CBRE Global President of Retail Anthony Buono said in a statement. “Her broad and diverse experience will enrich the insights she delivers for CBRE professionals and clients.”

Martindale will report to Global Chief Economist and Head of Americas Research Richard Barkham.

“I am thrilled my career came full circle and brought me back to CBRE with the experience, wisdom and perspective I have gained while remaining as eager as ever to learn and discover,” Martindale wrote in a LinkedIn post Monday.

Having joined CBRE this week, she will be researching and analyzing the “ongoing evolution of the retail industry," according to the brokerage.

Retail across the country has seen enormous change in the last few years.  Despite continued economic growth and positive hiring, 2019 has seen a spike in retail bankruptcies, and e-commerce has shifted many retailers' focus toward gobbling up warehouse space and away from traditional brick-and-mortar locations; last week, Pizza Hut announced plans to close 500 stores to focus more on delivery.