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Colliers International
Colliers International originated in 1976 when Jay Hennick, then a 19-year-old University of Toronto student, purchased a small appraisal firm in Toronto.
Colliers International
Colliers International originated in 1976 when Jay Hennick, then a 19-year-old University of Toronto student, purchased a small appraisal firm in Toronto. Hennick took the company public in 1993 and pursued an aggressive acquisition strategy that transformed it into one of the world's largest commercial real estate services and investment management platforms. The firm is distinct from many competitors in that its growth was largely organic through Hennick's consolidation of regional brokerages and valuation firms, creating an integrated structure where capital markets, leasing, property management, and investment management coexist under a single public ownership structure. The investment management division, which operates as Colliers Global Investors, deploys capital across private real estate equity, private credit, and infrastructure. The platform spans core, value-add, and opportunistic strategies across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. Fund structures include closed-end commingled funds, separate accounts, and co-investment vehicles for institutional investors. Confirmed sector exposures include industrial logistics, multifamily residential, office, and data centers, with specific portfolio holdings including German logistics parks and US Sun Belt multifamily developments disclosed in offering memoranda reviewed by institutional allocators (per PERE, 2024). Colliers employed over 19,000 professionals globally as of its 2024 annual report, though this figure spans both services and investment management lines. Hennick retains significant voting control through a dual-class share structure, with the Hennick family holding multiple voting shares that concentrate governance. In April 2025, Colliers expanded its investment platform through the acquisition of a controlling stake in a European infrastructure manager, deepening its presence in regulated energy and transportation assets (per the firm's official communications, April 2025). Structurally, the platform's most significant differentiator is its integration of investment management with a daily operating brokerage and property management business—creating a proprietary sourcing pipeline for investment opportunities that standalone fund managers cannot replicate. The dual-class share structure also concentrates strategic decision-making with Hennick, insulating the firm from activist pressure and allowing for longer holding periods in its balance-sheet co-investments alongside fund positions.
General information
Firm type
Asset Manager
Year founded
1976
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
Canada
City
Toronto
Corporate office
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who controls the investment decisions at Colliers Global Investors?
Investment decisions within Colliers Global Investors are made by independent investment committees for each fund strategy, operating at arm's length from the services division. Jay Hennick retains strategic oversight as Chairman and CEO and holds significant voting control through the Hennick family's multiple-voting shares. Day-to-day portfolio management is delegated to named fund managers for each strategy, with the firm's public filings documenting committee composition and approval authority.
How does Colliers source proprietary investment opportunities?
Colliers sources opportunities through its integrated brokerage and property management platform, which generates deal flow from over 19,000 professionals handling daily leasing, sales, and management transactions globally. This structure provides early visibility into off-market properties, distressed situations, and development site aggregation that competitors without an embedded services arm cannot easily replicate. The firm also maintains institutional relationships with property owners, lenders, and corporate occupiers that generate repeat deal flow.
Is Colliers International a family office?
Colliers International is not a family office. It is a publicly traded corporation listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and Nasdaq. Jay Hennick and his family own a controlling stake through multiple-voting shares, but the firm operates as a global commercial real estate services and investment management company serving third-party institutional and corporate clients, not as the private wealth vehicle of the Hennick family.
What types of investment strategies does Colliers Global Investors run?
Colliers Global Investors runs private real estate equity strategies across the risk spectrum—core, value-add, and opportunistic—alongside private credit and infrastructure strategies. Its real estate allocations span industrial logistics, multifamily residential, office, data centers, and retail across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. The infrastructure platform, expanded through the April 2025 European acquisition, targets regulated energy, transportation, and digital infrastructure assets.
How is Colliers Global Investors structurally separated from the brokerage operations?
Colliers Global Investors operates as a distinct division with separate legal entities, fund administration, and investment committees. While it benefits from the sourcing advantages of the brokerage platform, capital allocation decisions, fund governance, and investor reporting are maintained independently to mitigate conflicts of interest. Dual-hatted professionals are limited, and the firm's compliance policies require information barriers between investment management and transactional brokerage activities, as detailed in fund offering memoranda.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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