Capital Markets Veterans Join Savills Studley’s New Capital Markets Group

Savills Studley, a leading global commercial real estate services firm, announced today that industry veterans Louis Wolfowitz and Robert Elms are joining Savills Studley in its New York City headquarters office, enhancing its new Capital Markets Group. Wolfowitz and Elms, together with Mark Todrys, Sarah Icke, Emilee Brown and Brendan O’Loughlin join Savills Studley from Cushman & Wakefield, expanding the firm’s Capital Markets Group and substantially broadening the platform.

“Louis, Robert and Mark have proven track records in the capital markets industry,” said Michael Rotchford, who co-heads the Capital Markets Group with Woody Heller. “I am excited to be reunited with them.” Added Heller: “The addition of these three talented individuals further demonstrates our expanding commitment to providing world-class capital markets services to our clients.”

Wolfowitz, who joins as a Senior Managing Director, most recently led Cushman & Wakefield’s Corporate Finance & Investment Banking Group. He will focus on structuring and executing transactions on behalf of institutional real estate clients, as well as occupiers. “I am delighted to be joining an elite global firm that is fully focused on building a robust capital markets platform in New York and throughout the United States,” said Wolfowitz. “I look forward to starting a new chapter working alongside my best-in-class partners.”

Elms, joining as a Senior Managing Director, and Todrys, a Director, will lead the Capital Markets Group’s placement efforts. Said Elms: “Savills Studley’s access to global capital and its entrepreneurial culture offer a unique opportunity to best serve our clients.”

“As we continue to grow the company globally, adding the right capital markets talent in New York is fundamental to strengthening our brand,” said Simon Hope, head of Savills Global Capital Markets. “Louis, Robert and Mark are among the best in the business and we are thrilled to have them on our team.”

Wolfowitz, who worked with Michael Rotchford at Cushman & Wakefield, and succeeded him as head of its Corporate Finance & Investment Banking Group, helped to build a specialized practice providing real estate advisory and transaction execution services to corporate and institutional occupiers of real estate. Over his 13-year C&W career, he completed over $10 billion of transactions, encompassing over 40 million square feet of commercial real estate. He was a member of the team that earned two REBNY awards: the 2011 Most Ingenious Deal of the Year, for acting as advisor to the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey on the World Trade Center development, and the 2009 Most Ingenious Real Estate Financing award, for the New York Times Company’s headquarters at 620 Eighth Avenue. Prior to C&W, Mr. Wolfowitz was a Senior Vice President of GE Capital, where he established that company's first direct investment program in REITs, investing over $1 billion. Mr. Wolfowitz began his career as an investment banker with Merrill Lynch & Co., and helped establish the modern REIT industry with the initial public offering of Kimco Realty Corporation.

Prior to joining Savills Studley, Elms served as a Senior Managing Director in Capital Markets at Cushman & Wakefield, where he led the placement desk for the corporate finance and investing banking practice and was responsible for arranging debt and equity real estate related financings for corporate clients and developers. Earlier in his career, he spent 10 years on Wall Street in Investment Banking with both JPMorgan and Chase Securities and played a key role in several high profile M&A & subsequent financings transactions.

Todrys served as a Director in Cushman & Wakefield’s investment banking group for 10 years, where he worked closely with the capital markets group to assist corporations, institutions and other owners and users in maximizing real estate value through the use of structured financial products involving tax, capital and accounting strategies.

Icke joins as Associate and Brown and O’Loughlin both join as Analysts.

The hires come closely on the heels of Savills Studley’s expansion of its Capital Markets Group, which recently added market-leading professionals Michael Rotchford, Paul Leibowitz, David Krantz and David Heller to join well-known industry veteran Woody Heller.