CBRE has brought on a new leader for its Boston-area industrial leasing team, nabbing an executive from one of its top rivals.

The firm announced Wednesday it hired Rob Byrne as executive vice president. He previously spent five years at Cushman & Wakefield, where he led the firm's Boston industrial team.

“Rob is another great addition to our exceptional Boston team,” CBRE Executive Managing Director Michael Affronti said in a statement. “His background in industrial real estate and experience representing both occupiers and investors will play a significant role in expanding our capabilities and further enhancing the quality of service we provide our clients.”

Byrne has finalized over 50 lease and sale deals in each of the last 10 years, according to his LinkedIn page. In January, Byrne helped represent landlord Martignetti Cos. in a 260K SF lease at its Taunton Trade Center.

Prior to the position at Cushman & Wakefield, Byrne worked at Transwestern for four years, and he spent eight years at Richards Barry Joyce & Partners before it was acquired by Transwestern in 2013.

Byrne left Transwestern in 2018 with Thomas Ashe to join Cushman and focus on suburban industrial and office leasing. Byrne graduated from Boston College with a bachelor of science in accounting.