Savills Studley, the leading commercial real estate services firm specializing in tenant representation, has hired Chris White as executive vice president and market leader for its Atlanta office.

White will work to grow the firm’s Atlanta office into the city’s premier tenant representation team, focusing on metro Atlanta’s booming office and industrial markets. He joins Savills Studley with nearly 20 years of experience. He spent 16 years at Cushman Wakefield, most recently as senior director. White then served as the Southeast regional occupier service leader for Cassidy Turley. Most recently, he served as executive vice president and managing director for the Atlanta office for DTZ, where he grew the office significantly. In 2014, his representation of Worldpay in its 130,000-square-foot headquarters relocation to Midtown Atlanta won the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s “Office Deal of the Year Award” and contributed to his recognition as one of the city’s top 10 office tenant representatives by the Atlanta Commercial Board of Realtors.

“With the brokerage landscape dramatically changing, I was very thoughtful in where I wanted to begin the next phase of my career,” White said. “Through its strategic acquisitions Savills Studley has positioned itself for tremendous growth in the years to come, and I’m excited to build a great Atlanta team to serve tenants globally and throughout the Southeast.”

Andy Lechter, executive vice president, said, “I welcome Chris to Savills Studley and look forward to working with him as we build client relationships and serve the needs of occupiers in Atlanta and beyond.” 

Founded in 1855, London-based Savills plc acquired Studley in 2014. The deal added Savills’ global reach of more than 27,000 professionals to Studley’s unique model of occupier-only representation while establishing a foothold for Savills in the United States. Over the past year, Savills’ stock has increased more than 50 percent as the rebranded Savills Studley expanded its U.S. presence with the acquisitions of Florida-based brokerage firm Vertical Integration, Cresa’s Silicon Valley brokerage arm and New York-based management consulting firm KLG Advisors. Savills Studley’s goal is to grow to a $1 billion global occupier services firm in the coming years.

“Atlanta’s commercial real estate market represents an incredible growth opportunity as we look to strategically strengthen the Savills Studley brand,” said Michael Colacino, Savills Studley President. “We are thrilled to have Chris’ support in Atlanta and will continue to add key talent across the country, ensuring Savills Studley continues to provide best-in-class real estate council.”

CEO of Savills plc Jeremy Helsby said, “Our Savills Studley U.S. business enjoys a leading presence in New York, Chicago, Houston, and Los Angeles, and now we look forward to bolstering our presence in core markets such as Atlanta. Chris’ reputation of excellence strengthens Savills Studley’s tenant representation platform and we are thrilled to welcome him.”