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Colliers International Property Consultants
Colliers was founded in Toronto in 1972 by Jay Hennick. The firm grew from a regional property brokerage into a global real estate services company,...
Colliers International Property Consultants
Colliers was founded in Toronto in 1972 by Jay Hennick. The firm grew from a regional property brokerage into a global real estate services company, listing on the Toronto Stock Exchange in 1996 and later in the US. Jay Hennick, through his family holding company Henco, retains significant ownership and control, giving Colliers a family-office-like structure in its governance. The firm invests across direct real estate, infrastructure, and private credit via its Colliers Investment Management platform. Asset-class coverage includes office, industrial, retail, multifamily, and data centers globally. The firm targets value-add and opportunistic returns, making direct investments and co-investments alongside institutional partners. Noteworthy portfolio holdings include prime office properties in London and logistics assets in Europe (per Colliers annual reports). Geographic footprint spans North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. Colliers has approximately 19,000 professionals operating in over 60 countries. The firm maintains a global headquarters in Toronto and regional hubs in London, New York, Sydney, and Hong Kong. Adjacent structures include the Colliers Foundation, a philanthropic vehicle focused on community impact. In March 2025, Colliers announced the formation of a joint venture with Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan to invest $1 billion in European logistics assets (per PERE, March 2025). A structural differentiator is Colliers' governance model: founder Jay Hennick holds a controlling Class B share structure, allowing him to exert strategic influence without full public market pressure. This hybrid public-family-office model gives the firm long-term capital deployment flexibility while remaining accountable to public shareholders.
General information
Firm type
other
Year founded
1972
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
Canada
City
Toronto
Corporate office
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Additional offices
London · New York · Sydney · Hong Kong
Principals
Jay Hennick
Founder and Chairman
Doug Frye
Chairman of the Board (former CEO)
John Olerich
Chief Investment Officer
Maher Youssef
CEO
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Colliers?
Colliers' investment decisions are led by Chief Investment Officer John Olerich, with oversight from CEO Maher Youssef and Chairman Jay Hennick. The investment committee includes senior executives from the real estate and infrastructure verticals. Henco, Hennick's family holding company, retains veto power over major capital deployment (per Colliers annual governance filings).
How does Colliers source proprietary deal flow?
Colliers leverages its global brokerage platform to access off-market and proprietary real estate transactions. The firm's investment management team sources directly through relationships with institutional owners, developers, and corporates. Cross-border mandates and local market expertise generate deal flow independent of auction processes.
Is Colliers structured as a single family office or a public company?
Colliers is a publicly traded company (TSX: CIGI) with a controlling shareholder structure. Jay Hennick's Henco holds Class B shares with 10 votes per share, giving him effective control. This creates a hybrid model that combines public market liquidity with family-office-style long-term governance (per Colliers' most recent proxy filings).
Does Colliers participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?
Colliers does both: it invests directly into real assets through its investment management platform and also commits capital as a limited partner in select funds. The firm prefers direct deals and co-investments to maintain control of asset-level decisions. Its private credit platform provides mezzanine and structured finance solutions.
What investment stages does Colliers typically target?
Colliers targets value-add and opportunistic stages in real estate, infrastructure, and private credit. It seeks assets with operational improvement potential or repositioning opportunities. The firm generally avoids core, stabilized assets in favor of higher-yield strategies.
Which sectors does Colliers explicitly avoid?
Colliers publicly avoids direct exposure to development-stage projects with high pre-leasing risk and single-tenant assets in weak credit markets. It also steers clear of hospitality and retail assets perceived as structurally challenged (per investor presentations). The firm favors industrial, logistics, office, and data center sectors.
What is Colliers' known posture on co-investments alongside external GPs?
Colliers frequently co-invests alongside institutional partners and GPs. The March 2025 joint venture with Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan exemplifies its co-investment strategy: Colliers contributes asset management expertise and equity in exchange for fee income and capital appreciation. The firm typically targets minority positions with operational control.
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