JLL appointed former IBM executive Sanjay Rishi as chief executive officer for its Americas Corporate Solutions business. John Forrest, who has held a dual role of Global and Americas CEO for Corporate Solutions since 2014, will now fully focus on the Global CEO position for Corporate Solutions.
“Digital transformation and a multi-generational workforce are fundamentally reshaping how work gets done,” said Forrest. “Sanjay is a visionary leader with a 25-year track record of driving complex businesses and transformational change. His deep experience in both the professional services and technology sectors will help us deliver on our mission to create, shape and manage the future of work for our clients.”
Rishi joins JLL from IBM, where he established and led the company’s global Cloud Consulting Services organization. In that role, he ran a team that helped IBM clients use technologies like cloud, big data, artificial intelligence, the internet of things and analytics to drive business innovation. Prior to joining IBM, Rishi was CIO and group vice president – information technology and strategic planning for Johnson Controls Automotive, and also was a partner at PwC. Rishi will be based in Chicago.
“It’s such an exciting time to join the real estate industry, as technology and rapid change in today’s business climate revolutionize the way companies use their real estate and what they need from their workplaces,” Rishi said. “I’m delighted to join JLL’s leadership team to deliver the best services and digital solutions to clients.”
Rishi’s appointment is the latest in a series of new talent JLL has recruited from outside the real estate industry. Most recently, former Google executive Vinay Goel joined JLL as chief digital product officer, corporate solutions. Additionally, last year JLL brought on two Silicon Valley veterans to launch JLL Spark, a global division dedicated to identifying and delivering new technology-driven real estate service offerings.
