NEW YORK—Cushman & Wakefield Inc. announced that Edward C. Forst has been named president and CEO of the company. He will join the firm effective Jan. 6, 2014.
Forst, 53, joins Cushman & Wakefield following his tenure at Goldman, Sachs & Co. as Global Co-Head of the Investment Management Division, as a member of its management committee and previously as the firm’s Chief Administrative Officer. Most recently, he served as an advisor to Fenway Partners, a private investment firm.
Forst has more than 30 years of experience working in international asset management, capital markets, and operational leadership. He has held multiple executive level roles in both New York and London at Goldman, Sachs, where he was elected partner in 1998. While at Goldman, Sachs, Forst also served in leadership roles at the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) and was elected as its first co-chairman and subsequently in 2007 as its chairman.
During the financial crisis of 2008-2009, Forst was selected to be the first EVP and principal operating officer of Harvard University, leading its non-academic affairs and served as advisor to the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States.
John Elkann, chairman and CEO of EXOR, Cushman & Wakefield’s controlling shareholder, stated, “The appointment of a professional of Forst’s caliber will further strengthen Cushman & Wakefield’s ability to capture the opportunities to accelerate the firm’s growth and capitalize on the substantial investment that has been made in the business over the last few years. EXOR remains strongly committed to supporting Cushman & Wakefield’s development, enabling it to achieve its full potential in this exciting new phase.”