EXCLUSIVE: Savills Hires 3 New Houston Execs

Savills has hired three new senior executives in the firm’s Houston office, part of a push over the last year to bring more top talent into its fold.

Garrold Parratt has joined Savills as executive managing director. Prior to the move, Parratt served as executive vice president at JLL for 23 years. That period includes his tenure with The Staubach Co., which was acquired by JLL in 2008. Previously, Parratt was senior vice president at Cushman & Wakefield for more than seven years.

Lesa Nickelson French joined the firm as corporate managing director. She previously worked at CBRE for six years and JLL for nine years as senior vice president. Prior to commercial real estate, Nickelson French was a commercial litigator for 10 years, spending six of those years at Service Corporation International supervising its U.S. and Canadian litigation.

Robby Winston also joined Savills as managing director. Previously, he served as vice president of healthcare advisory services at Transwestern. Prior to Transwestern, Winston was president and CEO of Medix Technologies, a consulting company where he advised physicians and providers in healthcare finance, operations, strategic partnerships and the development of real estate.

All three executives joined the firm in December.

Vice Chairman and Southwest Region Lead Mark O’Donnell said that in the past year, the firm had focused on making key talent acquisition to meet the evolving needs of occupiers.

“Lesa, Garrold and Robby have wide-ranging professional experiences, market knowledge and diligent negotiation skills that expand our ability to deliver more value to the tenants we represent,” O’Donnell told Bisnow.

The Houston Savills office was established by Vice Chairman, Director and Southwest Region Lead Mark O’Donnell and Executive Vice Presidents and co-Branch Managers Derrell Curry and Drew Morris in the fall of 2003. Today, the office has nearly 40 brokers, consultants and full-time staff.