Matthew Becker, 29

February 2020 wasn’t the most advantageous time to start a new gig in the Manhattan office leasing world. But, for Matthew Becker, a leasing expert for Savills, it turned out to be the most important time in his career so far. 

Two mentors at Savills, Greg Taubin and David Goldstein, called the pandemic-induced interregnum Becker’s own “offseason,” and they spent the slow months before leasing re-emerged quizzing him, spinning tales from their own experiences, and getting him immersed in real estate before he had a chance to make his mark. Becker used the time well. 

“This has given me a perspective, an understanding of new ways of working,” he said. “I’ve only seen what people are doing now, and it keeps me resilient, so I’m not fighting all the changes in the industry.”

The training and open-ended approach paid off. After four years as an associate, where he specialized in leasing for law, financial and professional services firms, he became an assistant director this spring. He’s put his knowledge and personability to bear on creative transactions, such as a recent 56,000-square-foot disposition and relocation for PineBridge Investments within a Park Avenue tower that allowed the firm to shed excess space; and a 2022 relocation of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer to four full floors at 3 World Trade Center, which required subleasing the law firm’s existing space before moving. 

In a financial and leasing crunch, when firms need to be all the more flexible to succeed (i.e., land the space they want at the right price), leasing talent needs the same approach. 

“I think being younger kind of gives you an advantage, especially in this marketplace,” Becker said. “This moment is giving a lot of people an opportunity to branch out and create their own companies. You have to get creative. It’s not about being big, it’s about being smart.”