- Bennett to join from DekaBank where he is Head of London Branch, overseeing all its UK and Ireland real estate lending activities
- Martin Lay will move to Chairman, London Offices Capital Markets, when Bennett joins in January
Cushman & Wakefield has appointed experienced real estate finance leader Chris Bennett as Head of London Offices Capital Markets.
Bennett is currently working at DekaBank as Head of London Branch and Managing Director. In this role, Bennett has overseen all Deka’s commercial real estate lending activities in the UK and Ireland. He has headed Deka’s branch since 2018, being involved in origination and execution of transactions – predominantly in London offices.
His Central London track record includes advising a wide range of clients on acquisitions and refinancing opportunities across the City of London, Canary Wharf, King’s Cross and Mayfair, with tickets ranging from £50m to £1bn. He joined Deka from Citigroup’s European CMBS team, where he was a Vice President. The Chartered Surveyor and RICS Fellow has been on the Board of Directors of the Commercial Real Estate Finance Council Europe since 2020, serving as Chair in 2022.
Joining Cushman & Wakefield at the start of 2026, Bennett will succeed Martin Lay in the leadership role, with Lay becoming Chairman, London Offices Capital Markets.
Ben Cullen, Head of Offices UK, Cushman & Wakefield, said:
“Chris is a key strategic hire for us, reflecting our ambitions in capital markets. Experienced, analytical and entrepreneurial, he complements the senior capital markets talent already in our ranks in London and enhances the support we provide to clients across the entire capital stack. His appointment is another important milestone as we expand to support our clients.”
Cushman & Wakefield has been investing significantly in capital markets globally. In the UK, the firm has welcomed senior capital markets hires across sectors this year, including James Dunne joining from Aberdeen as Head of UK Living, Rob Woods in Logistics & Industrial, and Chris Watt and Jack Lloyd in retail.
