CBRE has announced that John Parsons has been promoted to lead the firm’s national data center practice for Valuation & Advisory Services (VAS) as part of the team’s continued strengthening of specialty property types. 

As National Data Center practice leader, Parsons’s will coordinate a team of valuation and advisory specialists across the U.S. with the aim of growing CBRE’s national data centers platform. In the newly created role, Parsons’s responsibilities include the cultivation of new clients and client care of existing major accounts; appraisal methodology/formats; portfolio management; and quality/risk management. He will also coordinate with CBRE VAS counterparts globally in the Europe, Middle East and Africa, and Asia Pacific (APAC) regions.

Based in Seattle, Parsons will report to R. Christian Sonne, executive vice president and director of Specialty Practices, VAS, and Richard West, executive managing director and Western Division leader, VAS. Parsons is also an active member of the CBRE Data Center Solutions (DCS) group, which provides of full-spectrum life cycle services to data center owners, occupiers, and investors, under the guidance of Pat Lynch, senior managing director, DCS.

“CBRE has built the largest commercial real estate valuation service in the Americas with deep experience in the core property types: office, retail, industrial and multifamily. Recently, we have strengthened specialty property types such as data centers, health care, and seniors housing. Our extensive global scale and reach, state-of-the art technology, and proven processes means that we can deliver market-leading outcomes across the complete spectrum of appraisal services and across all property types,” said Thomas B. McDonnell, president, Valuation & Advisory Services, CBRE.

Parsons, who joined CBRE in 2011, is an industry executive with more than 15 years of commercial real estate experience in both the U.S. and APAC. He is also the market leader for the appraisal and consulting assignments of office real estate in the Pacific Northwest. 

“CBRE’s global platform allows the VAS team to collaborate with a network of experts located across strategic geographies and all business lines related to the data centers asset class. This allows for customized client solutions and specialized knowledge that is unparalleled in the market,” Parsons said.