Former Berkshire Chief Named CEO Of CBRE Global Investors

Charles “Chuck” Leitner has left Berkshire and will now help oversee CBRE Group's $107B of assets under management worldwide.

A commercial real estate veteran with more than four decades of experience, Leitner has stepped down as president and chief executive officer of Berkshire to take over as the Global CEO of CBRE Global Investors, CBRE Group said Tuesday.

CBRE Global Investors CEO Chuck Leitner
Courtesy of CBRE
Cbre Global Investors Ceo Chuck Leitner

CBRE Global Investors is CBRE’s investment management arm.

Leitner, who was with Berkshire since 2013, succeeds T. Ritson Ferguson, who will take over as CEO of CBRE Clarion Securities, CBRE officials said.

Longtime Berkshire executive David Olney, who served as the managing director and head of multifamily investments, appears to have been promoted and has taken over Leitner’s previous role as CEO of Berkshire, according to Berkshire’s website.

Berkshire and CBRE Group did not reply to Bisnow requests for comment about Leitner’s role and where he will be based by press time.

As CEO of Berkshire, Leitner oversaw all aspects of the Boston-based company’s activities and operations. Along with his duties as president and CEO, Leitner was a member of Berkshire’s Board of Directors and Berkshire’s Investment Committee, according to his bio.

In June, job and recruiting site Glassdoor named Leitner a Top CEO in 2019 in the small and medium business category and awarded him a Glassdoor Employees’ Choice Award. The award is given to CEOs who receive positive reviews from their employees. Leitner received a 98% approval rating on the site.

“Chuck has all the qualities we are looking for in the leader of our investment management business,” CBRE Global CEO Real Estate Investments Daniel Queenan said in a statement. “He is an accomplished investor and operator and a strategic thinker with wide-ranging experience. Our people and our business will flourish under his strong leadership."

Leitner will report to Queenan.

Before joining Berkshire, Leitner had also served as chairman and CEO of the ULI Greenprint Center for Building Performance. He spent 24 years at RREEF Property Trust, where he helped grow the business to $80B in alternative assets under management.

Continue reading this story with a free account

Log in or register
Sign up for more articles like this
Subscribe to Bisnow's Los Angeles Newsletters
Related Stories

DOJ Charges LA Nonprofit Workers With Misusing $8.7M Meant For Housing Aid

Philly's Busy Summer Created Momentum. Can The City Turn It Into Long-Term Growth?

DivcoWest Sells Glendale Office Building For $70M

Daniel Negari Buys Downtown LA Hotel For $34M

Downtown Atlanta Improvement Group Picks Food Bank Chief As Next Leader

Stockdale Capital Partners, Hamilton Lane Acquire Chino Hills Shopping Center For $157M

Trump's DEI Crackdown Is Creating New Risks For Landlords That Lease To The Government

California Emerging As Data Center Fallback Market Amid Nationwide Opposition

Brandon Johnson Seeks Second Term Amid Strained CRE Relationship

Chapman Market Owners Get $29M Refinance: The Los Angeles Deal Sheet

Lineage Suing Solar Company Altus Power Over Boyle Heights Warehouse Fire

HPP, Blackstone Nab Extension On $1.1B Loan Tied To 2.2M SF Hollywood Portfolio