CBRE Group, Inc.
Leadership History
4 leaders · 2005 to present
Robert E. Sulentic is the CEO of CBRE, in the role since 2012. The first chief executive was Brett White, from 2005.
| Name | Role | From | To | Years in role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vikram Kohli | Chief Operating Officer and CEO, Advisory Services | 2025 | Present | 1 |
| Jamie Hodari | CEO, Building Operations & Experience and Chief Commercial Officer | 2025 | Present | 1 |
| Robert E. Sulentic | Chair, President and Chief Executive Officer | 2012 | Present | 14 |
| Brett White | Former Chief Executive Officer | 2005 | 2012 | 7 |
CBRE Group (originally Coldwell Banker, later CB Richard Ellis) is the largest commercial real estate services firm in the world by revenue. Corporations, investors, and governments use it to lease and buy space, value and finance property, run facilities and data centers, manage construction, and invest in real estate. Founded in San Francisco in 1906, the company is now based in Dallas, trades on the NYSE under the ticker CBRE, and is led by chair and CEO Bob Sulentic. The absolute largest commercial real estate services firm in the world is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, tracing its origins back to San Francisco in 1906 where it arose from the ashes of a catastrophic earthquake.
Chief Operating Officer and CEO, Advisory Services
2025 – Present
1 year (current)
Kohli pushed the massive digitization of CBRE's internal operations and spearheaded the integration of AI tools for predictive real estate modeling.
As COO, he manages the complex global operational structure for over 130,000 employees, ensuring strict cost controls amid the severe downturn in commercial real estate transactions.
CEO, Building Operations & Experience and Chief Commercial Officer
2025 – Present
1 year (current)
Hodari built Industrious by strictly avoiding WeWork's high-risk lease model, partnering directly with landlords through management agreements instead.
Following CBRE's massive investment into Industrious, Hodari (as Industrious CEO) manages CBRE's flexible workspace strategy, successfully capturing enterprise clients abandoning traditional office leases.
Chair, President and Chief Executive Officer
2012 – Present
14 years (current)
Bob Sulentic has been CBRE's CEO since December 2012 and also serves as chair. He joined CBRE through the 2006 Trammell Crow Company acquisition, where he had been CEO, and served as CBRE's CFO and president before taking the top job. Under his leadership CBRE bought Johnson Controls' Global Workplace Solutions (2015), a majority stake in Turner & Townsend (2021), J&J Worldwide Services (2024), and Industrious and Pearce Services (2025), shifting the mix toward contract-based and infrastructure services. CBRE moved its headquarters to Dallas in 2020 and reached record revenue of $40.55 billion in 2025. He holds a computer science degree from Iowa State University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Former Chief Executive Officer
2005 – 2012
7 years
White executed the highly aggressive acquisition strategy that built CBRE into a global behemoth, culminating in the massive $2.2 billion purchase of Trammell Crow Company in 2006.
As CEO, he navigated the catastrophic 2008 financial crisis, ruthlessly cutting costs to save the company before stepping down in 2012 (and later moving to rival Cushman & Wakefield).
CBRE's leasing and capital markets fees still rise and fall with interest rates, credit availability, and office demand, so a downturn in transactions hits earnings quickly. Its contract businesses carry thinner margins and depend on labor costs and client retention. Development and investment carry balance-sheet risk: in Q2 2026 CBRE cut GAAP net income by $168 million to raise its reserve for fire-safety remediation in its U.K. development business (Telford Homes). The company is also integrating a run of large acquisitions, including Industrious and the roughly $1.2 billion Pearce Services deal, while competing with JLL, Cushman & Wakefield, Colliers, and Newmark for brokers and outsourcing mandates.
Robert E. (Bob) Sulentic has been CEO of CBRE Group since December 2012 and also serves as chair of the board.
Before becoming CEO, Bob Sulentic served as CBRE's president and as its chief financial officer. He joined CBRE through the 2006 acquisition of Trammell Crow Company, where he had been CEO.
Brett White served as CEO of CBRE from 2005 to 2012. White oversaw CBRE's 2004 initial public offering on the NYSE, directed the transformative $2.2 billion acquisition of Trammell Crow Company in 2006, and guided CBRE through the 2008 global financial crisis.
Ray Wirta served as CEO of CB Richard Ellis before Brett White and led the company through its 2001 take-private and 2004 return to the NYSE; he later served as chairman.
Major deals under Bob Sulentic include Johnson Controls' Global Workplace Solutions (about $1.475 billion, 2015), a 60% stake in Turner & Townsend (2021), J&J Worldwide Services ($800 million plus earn-out, 2024), Industrious (2025), and Pearce Services (about $1.2 billion, 2025).
Sulentic shifted CBRE from a transaction-heavy brokerage toward contract-based building operations, project management, and infrastructure services, which CBRE calls its resilient businesses.
CBRE moved its headquarters from Los Angeles to Dallas in 2020; Dallas was already a major CBRE hub and home to Trammell Crow Company.
Bob Sulentic's management philosophy is anchored in CBRE's RISE values (Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence), disciplined capital allocation, continuous client-centric innovation, and building diverse, high-performing global teams.
Bob Sulentic serves as CEO, previously the CEO of Trammell Crow Company before CBRE acquired it. He has heavily focused on aggressively expanding CBRE's recurring revenue to protect against market crashes.
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