Toronto and Chicago – Mark E. Rose, Chair and CEO of Avison Young, today announced that industry leader Seth Weinert has been appointed to Avison Young as Principal and Director of Strategy and Risk Management. Based in Chicago, Weinert will sit on the Executive Committee, reporting directly to Rose.

“Our clients and our industry face a more complicated and uncertain operating environment than ever before. As Avison Young works to deliver the real estate experience of the future, it is critical that we optimize our own portfolio of products, services, and technologies to drive real value for our clients. Seth will enable that, “ said Rose. “He has a proven track record of designing and executing growth strategies across the CRE landscape and around the world.”

In this new role, Weinert will drive development of the firm’s overall long- and mid-term strategies, partnering with the Executive Committee on plan design and implementation. He will also be responsible for the identification, analysis and mitigation of potential gaps or threats to the firm and its offerings. In addition, he will partner closely with the firm’s Chief Strategy Officer, Hiren Thakar, who is focused on the firm’s strategic growth by recruitment and M&A.

“Avison Young is at a pivotal point in its transformation and I am incredibly excited to help shape what’s next for this great platform,” said Weinert.  “I’m interested in designing growth strategies that are aspirational, achievable, and flexible and then ensuring those strategies are reflected in the decisions and actions people take every day. That approach will be effective within Avison Young’s innovative, data-driven culture."

Weinert joins Avison Young from JLL, where he spent 20 years in client-facing, product and corporate development, and strategic planning roles. He most recently served as Head of Strategic Planning and Growth for the firm’s Work Dynamics group where he delivered multi-year growth plans and led global transformation workstreams.