Colliers Hires Boston Leasing Exec From CBRE

Colliers is bolstering its leasing team in Boston, adding a former CBRE leader with over 20 years of experience to its team.

John Butterworth joins Colliers as managing director and head of urban leasing, giving the brokerage firm an “elite advisor” at a critical time in the commercial real estate industry, the firm’s head of Boston operations said last week.

“I am excited to start this new chapter of my career, and having the opportunity to lead a team at Colliers where there is so much positive momentum certainly adds to that excitement,” Butterworth said in a statement.

He spent the last 15 years with CBRE New England as executive vice president and partner with the urban advisory and transaction services team, working with office landlords and tenants.

Butterworth joins as Colliers reported the Boston metro’s worst negative office absorption over a four-quarter period ever, according to the firm’s Q4 data. Negative absorption topped negative 4.2M SF in 2020, while sublease space rose to 3M SF in Boston, according to a report.

The coronavirus pandemic has also led developers to pivot space to accommodate life sciences tenants at rising projects across the city, in a response to that market’s strong performance undeterred by the pandemic.

Colliers’ Boston office includes more than 50 brokers, and Butterworth’s addition is the latest broker to join in a short period beginning with former JLL leader Frank Petz in 2019.

“John has been widely known as an elite advisor in the city of Boston,” said Dave Goodhue, executive managing director and brokerage market leader for Colliers Boston. “He’s incredibly well-respected in real estate circles, community circles.”