What Avison Young does

Avison Young is a privately held, partnership-model commercial real estate advisory firm founded in 1978 and headquartered in Toronto, Canada, operating across more than 100 offices in 19 countries with approximately 4,500 professionals. The firm serves three principal client groups — investors/developers/lenders, corporate occupiers, and public sector leaders — through a full-lifecycle service platform that spans Capital Markets, Investment & Asset Management (covering 316+ million sq ft globally), Property and Facility Management, Project Management, Valuation and Advisory, Agency Leasing, Occupier Services, Net Lease, Sustainability, and Transaction Management, organized around specialty sector practices including Data Centers, Life Sciences, Healthcare, Senior Housing, Hospitality, Industrial, Multifamily, Office, and Retail. Its underlying technology stack combines proprietary market intelligence (Sightlines platform, Office Activity Index, Data Bites, Viewpoints, sector reports across nine country markets) with the Dealpath Connect institutional listings exchange (shared with JLL, CBRE, and Cushman & Wakefield, with $27 billion in deal pipeline since November 2024) and a strategic partnership with CGI for AI-powered managed services supporting digital platforms.

Avison Young's business model combines transaction-based fees (capital markets, agency leasing, tenant representation, debt and equity finance), recurring managed services revenue (investment and asset management, property and facility management), and professional services fees (project management, valuation, consulting). Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; engagements are tailored to client requirements. Go-to-market is partner-led and locally empowered, with Market Leaders and Managing Directors owning client relationships in each metro and coordinating cross-border institutional work through the global office network; distribution is augmented by an online property listings portal (avisonyoung.com/properties) and platform partnerships. Revenue is supplemented by content-led demand generation through the Sightlines publication suite, the Changing Places podcast, and the annual Impact Report, supported by active social media presence on LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram. The firm is backed by CDPQ (Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec), which provided a $250 million investment in 2018 enabling subsequent acquisitions including France-based Cassian in May 2021 and a sustained roll-up strategy across Canada, the U.S., and EMEA.

Name

Avison Young

Legal name

Avison Young (Canada) Inc.

Website

https://avisonyoung.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Avison Young is a privately held, partnership-model commercial real estate advisory firm with ~4,500 professionals across 100+ offices in 19 countries, serving investors, corporate occupiers, and public sector clients with full-lifecycle services spanning capital markets, asset management, leasing, valuation, and project management.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Real Estate Services

NAICS

Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (531210), Real Estate Property Managers (53131)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531), Loan Brokers (6163)

akta.pro primary industry

Real Estate Investment Advisory (Acquisitions/Dispositions, Capital Allocation) (BPAJANAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Real Estate Market Research & Economic Advisory (Demand/Supply, Location Analytics) (BPAJANAD)

Keywords

• Commercial real estate services
• Capital markets advisory
• Investment sales brokerage
• Property management services
• Tenant representation leasing

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices59 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Capital Markets & Investment Sales: Transaction-based fees from investment sales, debt and equity finance, and capital markets advisory across all major property types including office, industrial, retail, multifamily, hospitality, healthcare, life sciences, and data centers.
2. Agency Leasing & Tenant Representation: Leasing commissions from agency leasing (landlord representation) and tenant representation across office, industrial, retail, and specialty sectors, with dedicated Net Lease and Office Central London practices.
3. Investment & Asset Management: Recurring fees from managing more than 316 million square feet of real estate globally for institutional investors, owners, and developers through dedicated Investment and Asset Management platform.
4. Property & Facility Management: Recurring property management and facility management services for owners and occupiers, including estate management, public realm activation, and governance services for mixed-use developments such as Typhoo Wharf in Birmingham.
5. Project & Construction Management: Fee-based project management, construction management, and Studio Project Services delivered across investor and occupier client bases, with U.S. platform strengthened by new leadership (Patrick Schmidt appointed Managing Director).
6. Consulting, Valuation & Advisory Services: Professional services fees from consulting and advisory engagements, valuation and advisory services, transaction management, and workplace strategy consulting for occupiers, investors, and the public sector.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Avison Young is a global commercial real estate advisory firm providing integrated services across the full property lifecycle for investors, developers, corporate occupiers, and public sector clients. Its service lines include capital markets (investment sales, debt and equity finance), investment and asset management, agency leasing, tenant representation, property and facility management, project and construction management, valuation and advisory, consulting, occupier/enterprise solutions, transaction management, net lease, flexible solutions, and sustainability advisory. The firm operates across more than 100 offices in 19 countries, manages over 316 million square feet of real estate, and supports clients with proprietary market intelligence including the Sightlines platform and the Office Activity Index.

Product overview

Avison Young is a global commercial real estate advisory firm rather than a single SaaS product, operating as a unified platform of integrated service lines delivered across more than 100 offices in 19 countries. The offering is organized around three engagement models (occupier, owner/investor, and public sector) and spans core advisory and transactional services — Capital Markets, Investment and Asset Management, Property Management, Project Management, Valuation and Advisory Services, Agency Leasing, Occupier Services/Enterprise Solutions, Consulting and Advisory, Debt and Equity Finance, Facility Management, Net Lease, Flexible Solutions, Sustainability, Tenant Representation, and Transaction Management. Underpinning these service lines is the Sightlines market intelligence platform (including Market Reports, Data Bites, and Viewpoints) plus proprietary tools such as the Office Activity Index and the Dealpath Connect listing exchange partnership. Specialty sector practices (Data Centers, Life Sciences, Healthcare, Senior Housing, Hospitality, Industrial, Multifamily, Office, Retail, Land and Development, Automotive Properties, Associations and Nonprofits, Private Equity) extend the same platform of services to vertical-specific use cases, while thought-leadership media (Changing Places podcast, Impact Report) and AI-powered managed services from CGI support the firm's digital infrastructure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Capital Markets Capital markets services for commercial real estate investors and owners, encompassing investment sales, debt and equity finance, and structured transactions across all major property types.
• Investment and Asset Management Global investment and asset management services for commercial real estate portfolios across property types, managing more than 316 million square feet for institutional investors, owners, and developers.
• Property Management Commercial property management services across office, industrial, retail, multifamily, and mixed-use assets including estate management, public realm activation, and governance.
• Project Management Project management and construction management services for commercial real estate occupiers and owners, including dedicated Studio Project Services.
• Valuation and Advisory Services Valuation, appraisal, and advisory services for commercial real estate assets and portfolios, including transaction management and consulting engagements.
• Agency Leasing Landlord representation leasing services across office, industrial, retail, and specialty property types, including dedicated Net Lease and Office Central London practices.
• Occupier Services / Enterprise Solutions Transaction management, portfolio strategy, and workplace solutions for corporate occupiers of commercial real estate, including lease administration.
• Consulting and Advisory Strategic consulting and advisory services covering workplace strategy, portfolio optimization, location analytics, and ESG/sustainability consulting.
• Debt and Equity Finance Debt and equity financing services, including mortgage brokerage and structured financing for commercial real estate owners and investors.
• Facility Management Facility and infrastructure management services for corporate and commercial real estate clients, supporting ongoing operational performance of buildings.
• Net Lease Net lease investment sales services focused on single-tenant and net-leased commercial properties.
• Flexible Solutions Advisory and brokerage services for flexible office and coworking space operators and occupiers.
• Sustainability ESG and sustainability advisory services for commercial real estate owners, occupiers, and investors, including decarbonization and climate risk consulting aligned to UN SDGs and PRI.
• Tenant Representation Tenant-side representation services for occupiers of office, industrial, retail, and specialty commercial space.
• Transaction Management Centralized transaction management for corporate occupiers managing multi-market real estate portfolios.

Quantifiable outcome

• Manages 316+ million sq ft of real estate globally
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability6 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered major - market entry acquisition, major strategic technology partner, major platform partnership, major project partner, industry network of peer brokerages and not a partnership - executive departure.

• Cassianmajor - market entry acquisitionStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench real estate asset and investment management company acquired by Avison Young on May 27, 2021, marking Avison Young's entry into the French market. Cassian became the foundation of Avison Young's French operations, which now operates from Paris.
• CGImajor strategic technology partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerCGI expanded its strategic partnership with Avison Young to deliver AI-powered managed services supporting digital transformation and operational efficiency. The collaboration enhances Avison Young's digital platforms with scalable and secure services aligned to its real estate advisory and workplace solutions, formalized in March 2026. CGI's Eva Maglis also serves as an independent board member.
• Dealpathmajor platform partnershipTechnology or IntegrationAvison Young joined Dealpath Connect, the industry's largest private exchange for institutional real estate listings, alongside JLL, CBRE, and Cushman & Wakefield. Since the platform's November 2024 launch, $27 billion worth of deals have been added to client pipelines. Buy-side teams engage with nearly 60% of listings delivered through the platform. The integration uses AI to enrich listings with market, property, and tenant insights.
• Stoford and Gooch Estatemajor project partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint partnership for the Typhoo Wharf estate in Birmingham's Digbeth district — a major 800,000 sq ft mixed-use development anchored by BBC's new Birmingham headquarters. Avison Young provides estate management, public realm activation, and governance services in partnership with developer Stoford and the Gooch Estate. BBC is expected to complete fit out by 2027.
• JLL, CBRE, and Cushman & Wakefieldindustry network of peer brokeragesChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAvison Young joined Dealpath Connect alongside these peer brokerages (JLL, CBRE, Cushman & Wakefield), expanding the network that connects sell-side brokerages with institutional investors. The platform uses AI to enrich listings with market, property, and tenant insights, displacing traditional fragmented manual deal distribution with a structured digital network for institutional capital markets.
• Cushman & Wakefield (Damla Gerhart)not a partnership - executive departureOthersDamla Gerhart, previously Principal and Regional Managing Director at Avison Young, departed to join Cushman & Wakefield as Executive Regional Director for the Midwest Region effective March 2, 2026. Gerhart brings two decades of industry experience and will oversee eight Midwest markets including Chicago, Cincinnati, Columbus, Detroit, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Minneapolis, and St. Louis.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• CBRE Group: CBRE is the world's largest commercial real estate services firm, offering investment sales, leasing, valuation, property management, and advisory across all major property types globally — directly comparable to Avison Young's full-lifecycle CRE services platform. Avison Young competes with CBRE in capital markets, agency leasing, and asset management.
• JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle): JLL is a global CRE services firm competing directly with Avison Young across capital markets, agency leasing, project management, and property/facility management, and is a co-partner on Dealpath Connect. Avison Young and JLL overlap most heavily in U.S., U.K., and EMEA institutional mandates.
• Cushman & Wakefield: Cushman & Wakefield is a global CRE services competitor and fellow Dealpath Connect partner, offering investment sales, leasing, valuation, and asset management across the same geographies and property types. Avison Young and Cushman & Wakefield compete directly across capital markets and occupier services.
• Colliers International: Colliers is a publicly-traded global CRE services firm with overlapping service lines (investment sales, leasing, valuation, project management) and a similar relationship-driven culture. Avison Young competes with Colliers across the U.S., Canada, U.K., and EMEA, and the two firms have active lateral hiring between them.
• Newmark Group: Newmark is a U.S.-heavy CRE services firm competing with Avison Young in capital markets, leasing, and valuation, particularly in the New York, Washington DC, and Texas markets. The two firms have meaningful overlap in office, industrial, and multifamily investment sales.
• Savills: Savills is a U.K.-headquartered global CRE advisory firm with similar service-line breadth (investment, leasing, valuation, property management) and meaningful overlap with Avison Young in U.K., EMEA, and Asia-Pacific markets. Savills' public listing offers a useful valuation benchmark.
• Knight Frank: Knight Frank is a privately-held global CRE advisory firm with similar U.K. heritage and global expansion ambitions. Knight Frank and Avison Young overlap most directly in U.K., EMEA residential/commercial, and Asia-Pacific commercial real estate.

Emerging players

• Marcus & Millichap: Marcus & Millichap is a U.S.-focused CRE investment sales firm specializing in commercial real estate brokerage, financing, and research. While smaller in global breadth than Avison Young, it competes in U.S. investment sales, multifamily, and net-lease capital markets.
• Eastdil Secured: Eastdil Secured is a global real estate investment bank focused on large institutional capital markets transactions and debt placement. Avison Young and Eastdil compete most directly in large U.S. and U.K. investment sales mandates for institutional clients.

Broad incumbents

• BGC Group (Newmark/Newmark predecessor): BGC Group is a broader financial services platform that owns Newmark and offers real estate-related brokerage, capital markets, and advisory as part of a wider financial services portfolio. Avison Young overlaps with BGC/Newmark in commercial real estate capital markets and brokerage.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/AvisonYoungRE
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/avison-young-commercial-real-estate
• Instagraminstagram.com/avison_young_global
• Xx.com/AvisonYoung
• Facebookfacebook.com/61559277700755

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles28 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A10 records

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Avison Young