Colliers Hires Sarah Cafaro as NYC-Based Senior Vice President

Colliers has hired Sarah Cafaro as its new senior vice president in New York, Commercial Observer has learned.

Cafaro, previously a senior director of U.S. retail investment sales and capital markets at Avison Young, started at Colliers on Monday.

In her new role, Cafaro will carry over her more than 20 years of expertise and focus on expanding Colliers’ retail investment sales platform while also “driving collaboration across service lines,” according to a Tuesday announcement.

“Retail real estate represents one of the strongest institutional asset classes, and as retail investment activity continues to accelerate, investors are increasingly seeking advisers with direct access to New York-based capital and the ability to execute seamlessly across national portfolios,” Cafaro said in a statement. “Colliers’ legacy as a trusted adviser positions the firm uniquely to meet that demand.”

Before her nearly six-year stint at Avison Young, Cafaro held senior roles at SRS Real Estate Partners, Newmark, TD Securities and S&P Capital IQ. Throughout her career, Cafaro has led “high-profile” transactions across shopping centers, single-tenant net-lease properties, malls, retail condos and mixed-use assets, according to the announcement.

She has also worked on major retail portfolios across the U.S., including Whitecap NPI, a $570 million master-planned development in Texas, as well as the former Barneys New York property at 101 Seventh Avenue in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood and a national 150-property entertainment portfolio acquisition.

“Sarah is a sophisticated adviser who brings both the institutional relationships and the transactional depth our clients demand,” John Gallagher, an executive managing director in New York City for Colliers, said in a statement. “She has a rare ability to see around corners on complex deals, and her addition meaningfully strengthens our retail investment sales practice at a time when the market is creating real opportunity.”

Cafaro is a member of the CRE Finance Council, ICSC, the Real Estate Board of New York and The Pipeline, an organization focused on mentoring women and underrepresented individuals in CRE.

A spokesperson for Avison Young did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Isabelle Durso can be reached at idurso@commercialobserver.com.