Alongside Rocco, Davita Nathaniel joins the team as Associate, further strengthening Cushman & Wakefield's presence in the sector.
"This double entry underscores our commitment to a segment that is playing a growing role in our clients’ capital allocation decisions,” said Carlo Vanini, Head of Capital Markets Italy. “We see this as a long-term focus, with an integrated Capital Markets platform designed to deliver value while remaining closely attuned to urban dynamics and local communities”.
The Living Capital Markets team will focus on assisting institutional funds, family offices, operators and developers in the sector with acquisitions, disposals, joint ventures and capital raising, with particular reference to the student housing (PBSA), multifamily, build-to-sell and hybrid forms of managed residential segments. The aim is to support core, core-plus and value-add investment strategies, integrating technical/commercial and financial advisory services, execution capabilities and in-depth market know-how.
Rocco Leone joins Cushman & Wakefield with a solid technical and financial background, thanks to a degree in Construction Engineering-Architecture and a specialisation in Management of the Built Environment from the Politecnico di Milano. Davita Nathaniel, with a bachelor's and master's degree in Business Administration from IE Business School, completes the team by strengthening its financial and commercial expertise, balancing technical and strategic vision.
“Living is no longer an alternative asset; it has become a strategic investment choice. The sector is attracting growing interest from both institutional and private capital, confirming its strong development potential” said Rocco, “ in a challenging macroeconomic environment, Living is proving to be a resilient asset class—one that combines capital preservation with short- and long-term value creation. It supports diversified investment strategies while playing an increasingly central role in urban regeneration and in addressing the country’s evolving social needs”.
Rocco Leone and Davita Nathaniel participated in the launch of CBRE's Living team and, over the last two years, have worked at Joivy Invest, where they were responsible for structuring the investment team of one of Italy's leading operators in the student housing sector. In this context, they have overseen Living transactions in the main Italian markets, acquiring cross-cutting skills that integrate investment, development and residential product management.
"The arrival of Rocco and Davita underscores Cushman & Wakefield’s commitment to strengthening its Living platform, alongside our partnership with Immobiliare.it and the launch of the new Portfolio Advisory service, enhancing our ability to deliver a highly specialised, data-driven offering," said Joachim Sandberg, Head of Cushman & Wakefield Italy. "This step strengthens our support for institutional and private investors, operators and developers pursuing capital allocation strategies in the Living sector, through a dedicated team combining market intelligence, data, advisory and execution capabilities in a rapidly evolving market."
