Barry Gosin Stepping Down as Newmark’s CEO 

It’s the end of an era for Newmark. 

Barry Gosin, the firm’s fearless leader, will step down from his CEO position on Dec. 31, the company announced Friday. Gosin has held the CEO position since 1979. 

The 75-year-old Gosin will segue to become chairman of Newmark & Company Real Estate, Newmark’s operating company, in order to facilitate a seamless transition for his successor, who will be named by Newmark’s board of directors by year’s end, according to a release. 

“I have spent nearly my entire career at Newmark, working alongside an exceptional team whose dedication, talent and commitment have made the company and its success possible,” Gosin said in a statement. “The company is stronger than ever, our strategy is working, and the opportunities ahead are substantial, which is why I believe now is the right time to take a step back from day-to-day operations to focus solely on matters that will make a difference to Newmark, and to support the company through this transition.”

Stronger than ever is right. At 10,000 professionals over 195 offices, Newmark isn’t the biggest brokerage in the U.S., but that’s intentional. What it is is a lean, mean deal-making machine with a reach that spreads to all corners of the globe — including a 1,000-person team in Europe as well as hubs in Latin America, the Asia-Pacific region, the U.K., Mexico, India and Singapore — and deep expertise in capital markets, leasing, valuation, property management and consulting services across property sectors. 

Just last month, the firm posted strong results and a robust transaction pipeline in its second-quarter earnings, with Gosin saying Newmark expects double-digit top- and bottom-line growth for the third consecutive year. 

“We anticipate that our investments in recurring revenue businesses, ongoing international expansion, improving industry fundamentals and talented professionals will together drive Newmark’s long-term growth and market-share gains,” Gosin said during the earnings call. 

Gosin leaves a formidable legacy as Newmark’s CEO, having spearheaded every step of the firm’s evolution over the years, including its IPO in 2017 and its spinoff from BGC Partners in 2018. He also led the acquisition of more than 60 companies during his tenure. 

“Being the best is our game plan,” Gosin told Commercial Observer in a 2023 interview. “We intentionally do not want to be the largest because when you get to a certain size, you have to feed the beast.” 

A master at hiring top talent for its various verticals, Gosin once had a goal to have the country’s top capital markets business at Newmark and brought on some of the best in the business to help achieve it. In February 2023, he hired Adam Spies and Doug Harmon from Cushman & Wakefield, and just six months later the firm landed the $60 billion Signature Bank loan portfolio mandate. Between Harmon, Spies and the debt team led by Jordan Roeschlaub, headline-worthy deals just keep coming. 

Gosin’s impact at Newmark over the years is no doubt due to the fact he’s walked the walk that his teams walk today, through cycles, market crises and the dizzying pockets of dislocation that have popped up over recent years. He was an agency broker before honing his talent on the tenant rep side, and his resume includes the Bloomberg headquarters deal in 2001. 

“When you bring in a gunslinger, they want to know that the guy hiring them knows how to load a six-shooter, even if he has gray hair,” he said in the 2023 interview.

“For nearly five decades, Barry, along with his entire leadership team, have led Newmark through some of its most consequential milestones, including its initial public offering in 2017 and becoming the fastest-growing publicly traded commercial real estate firm in the world, increasing annual revenues by over 1,400 percent since 2011 while expanding to more than 10,000 professionals across approximately 195 locations,” Stephen Merkel, chairman of the board, executive vice president and chief legal officer of Newmark, said in a statement.

Gosin’s tenure as CEO will end when the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, but Gosin’s new contract as chairman of Newmark’s operating company extends out to 2029. 

Cathy Cunningham can be reached at ccunningham@commercialobserver.com.