About

David C. Smith is the Global Head of Occupier Insights for Cushman & Wakefield. David’s work is focused on how economics, demographics, technology and space usage trends impact the future of commercial real estate for occupiers and investors. He produces reports, analysis and thought leadership that serve clients and internal Cushman & Wakefield service lines, including Global Occupier Services, Commercial Tenant Representation, Flexible Office / Coworking, Total Workplace, Consulting, Agency Leasing and Investor Services.

In addition to advising clients, David frequently participates at industry events and on speaker panels. He has been a presenter at CoreNet Global’s North American Summit and a keynote / main stage speaker at the NHMC Annual Conference, The Office Tenant Week – Latin America, and BOMA China’s Annual Conference. At Cushman & Wakefield, he leads the development and authorship of industry reports co-branded with CoreNet Global.

Mr. Smith previously spent over a decade at Kingsley Associates, a leading provider of research and benchmarking solutions to real estate companies around the world. In addition to providing consulting services to global real estate companies, he was also involved in several industry-wide thought leadership partnerships with BOMA and NMHC. In that role, Mr. Smith served as one of the creators of the NMHC/Kingsley Associates Apartment Renter Preferences Report.

Awards & Recognition

• Author / co-author of thought-leadership deliverables pertaining to various CRE trends and topics: the future of office, demographic shifts, employment, flex office / coworking, occupier real estate strategy and decision making, technology trends, real estate costs and workplace usage.
• Frequent contributor to Cushman & Wakefield articles and published and/or quoted in: GlobeStreet, Forbes, New York Times, NAIOP, Bisnow, Business Insider, Commercial Observer, Inc., Yahoo News, Recode/Vox, BOMA Magazine, Work Design Magazine, and CoreNet Global.
• Main stage speaker at NHMC Annual Conference and BOMA China’s 1st Annual Conference.
• As Vice President / COO of real estate industry’s leading provider of research and performance benchmarking solutions focused on customer (tenant / resident) satisfaction, employee engagement and client / investor perceptions, provided consulting services to global firms owning and/or managing $850 billion in commercial real estate and 2.5 million multifamily units.

Education

Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy, Duke University 

Community Involvement

Board member: Center for Christianity & Scholarship (at Duke University)