Expands Avison Young Investment Management reach further across Europe

TORONTO and PARIS – Cassian, an asset and investment management company in France, is now part of Avison Young’s Investment Management arm, the company announced today. Cassian will continue to operate under its brand for a period, delivering real estate asset and investment management services as an Avison Young company, while it integrates its business with Avison Young Investment Management. Giles Wintle, Will Woodhead and Steve Woodward join as Principals.

“France is one of the strongest markets in Continental Europe and an important piece of our growth strategy as we expand to where our clients need us to be to transform their assets to adapt to changing investment metrics, respond to a dynamic market context, and align to changing occupier requirements,” said Mark Rose, Chair and CEO, Avison Young. “The addition of the Cassian team is the first step for us in France, fitting into our strategy of bringing on board leading professionals with a well-established market presence and an entrepreneurial outlook.”

The Cassian acquisition builds on the firm’s investment management expertise across Canada, with strong ties to the French market, the U.S., and Germany. Avison Young Investment Management delivered strong returns for clients in 2020, landing among the top 20 managers globally according to an analysis by MSCI Enterprise Analytics, a leading provider of decision support tools and services for the global investment community.

“We are excited to become part of Avison Young and this enables Cassian to progress to the next step of its development,” said Wintle. “Adding such a global network to our 75 years of collective experience in investment, asset and project management, will enable us to better serve our clients over a broader range of projects.”

As an integrated multimarket business, Avison Young Investment Management provides strategic counsel and oversight of multi-national portfolios on behalf of institutional clients. The team is focused on developing and proactively managing diverse portfolios comprised of various asset types to create stable income and above average growth. It does so with an eye to providing outstanding risk adjusted returns for investors, while also addressing resiliency and sustainability in accordance with its environmental, social and governance (ESG) commitments.