Avison Young enters the French market by acquiring Cassian

Avison Young enters the French market, acquires Cassian, a real estate asset and investment management company, and expands Avison Young Investment Management reach further across Europe

Cassian, an asset and investment management group 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 investment and asset management as well as development and investment 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.

Mark Rose, Chair and CEO, Avison Young said, “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. 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.

Giles Wintle, Principal, Avison Young - France, said “We are excited to become part of the Avison Young group, this transaction enables Cassian to progress to the next step of its development. Adding such a global network to the Cassian partners’ 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.”