UK-based property consultancy firm Knight Frank and Berkadia, a US-based commercial real estate group and joint venture of Berkshire Hathaway and Jefferies Financial Group, have formed a new alliance to develop and provide capital markets services to multi-market clients globally.
This strategic alliance will establish a premier global capital markets platform, providing clients with access to the most active cross-border investors, international institutions, banks and sovereign wealth funds. The platform spans all major capital hubs and sources of capital, including the US, Asia Pacific, Europe, the UK and the Middle East.
Knight Frank is the world’s largest privately-owned capital markets platform. It offers unparalleled access to capital globally, including institutional, sovereign and private wealth, connecting with over 5,400 ultra-high-net-worth individuals through its Private Office network. Berkadia is a US-based capital markets advisory firm with a proven track record, having successfully originated over $75 billion in commercial loans and advised on $48 billion in asset sales over the last two years. Collectively, both firms offer a global network comprising over 22,750 people across 558 offices in 57 territories.
The Knight Frank Berkadia alliance is founded on compatible cultures and leadership alongside complementary areas of expertise and a shared vision for growth. The depth and breadth of this network will enable clients to navigate the global capital market more effectively and have access to the widest range of opportunities and resources to maximise their property values.
Both firms see a client need for a truly global capital markets service offering and are committed to coming together for the long term. The alliance will be guided by an Alliance Management Board that meets quarterly. It will include senior executives from both organisations, including Neil Brookes, Knight Frank’s Global Head of Capital Markets, and Keith Misner, Berkadia’s Co-Head of Investment Sales. The alliance will also establish an on-the-ground Knight Frank presence in the United States via a secondment as well as a Berkadia presence in Knight Frank’s London headquarters.
William Beardmore-Gray, Senior Partner & Group Chair at Knight Frank, said: “I am excited to announce Knight Frank’s alliance with Berkadia – a relationship built on our mutual values and an ultimate ambition to become the world’s best, most trusted capital markets platform. Together, we have created an alliance focused on our clients’ needs, providing strategic advice and delivering a range of best-in-class capital markets solutions.
“But more than that, we have a shared view of the world, that independent long-term relationships offer a superior experience to all our clients. This is the beginning of a lasting alliance, one which will cultivate both our firms’ collective expertise and the suite of services we offer our global client base and will provide the perfect complement to our established relationships with our existing partners, Cresa and Douglas Elliman.”
Justin Wheeler, CEO of Berkadia, said: “This newly formed alignment between our two firms will have innumerable benefits for clients on both sides. Berkadia’s depth of industry knowledge and experience will flow seamlessly with Knight Frank’s vast global network and valuation expertise to shift our transaction life cycle into high gear.”
Knight Frank now has three US-based partners – Berkadia, Cresa, and Douglas Elliman.
