Big hitter Potter on the move to CBRE

Carl Potter has joined the consultancy to head up its Midlands and South development team, joining from Avison Young where his 39-year stint include a spell as national head of office agency.

Potter, who also served as AY’s Birmingham office managing director and chair of the UK executive committee, has advised clients across the Midlands on flagship projects including the Birmingham Health and Innovation Campus, Peddimore, Loughborough University Science and Enterprise Park.

He also worked on the transition of Birmingham City University’s Perry Barr campus post-Commonwealth Games.

Potter also acted as project director at Arden Cross, the £3.2bn regeneration project and HS2 Interchange hub near Birmingham Airport, concluding a development agreement with Muse in December 2024.

At AY he led the company’s higher education, science park and life sciences initiatives, providing development and transactional advice both to university clients and across the majority of the region’s science parks.

He will join Laura Loftus, James Carey – both former colleagues – Jack Jones and Jess Tovey in CBRE’s Birmingham development team.

Potter said: “At Avison Young we built a highly skilled team and an enviable track record of advising clients across many high growth sectors, particularly focusing on joint venture development, delivery strategies and regeneration projects. The opportunity to elevate this through CBRE’s existing capabilities and international network provided a compelling rationale for the move.”

Outside the office, Carl has chaired the Midlands British Council for Offices committee and judging panel and currently sits on the Urban Land Institute Midlands committee. He has also advised The Symphony Hall and Birmingham Repertory Theatre on capital projects, on a pro bono basis.

Will Ventham, head of CBRE’s Birmingham office, said: “Carl has an enviable track record and his move here is a massive coup. We are hugely excited by the prospect of building further upon our leading advisory and consultancy teams locally.

“Carl shares CBRE’s ambition to act as the enabler for strategic real estate partnerships, particularly between the public, private and higher education sectors, leveraging the generational opportunity for growth we are seeing across the Midlands region.”