Cresa hires JLL executive

This article originally appeared in the Chicago Business Journal. Read the full article here

Tricia Trester, 46, was recently hired by Chicago-based Cresa to head its Global Portfolio Solutions just five months as she accepted a position at JLL as a principal.

Originally posted by Wendell Hutson – Staff Reporter, Chicago Business Journal
Sep 23, 2021, 3:39pm EDT

Five months after accepting a job with JLL as a managing director and principal, Tricia Trester said she has resigned to join tenant representation firm Cresa, which also reunited her with a former colleague.

“At the time I was not looking and had no intentions of leaving because JLL is a wonderful place to work,” explained Trester, 46. “Cresa had reached out to me a few times and asked if I would have a conversation with them. And after meeting with them I got excited about the mission they were trying to do, and the rest was history.”

Tod Lickerman, newly hired CEO of Cresa, led that conversation with Trester.

“I worked with Tod at Debenham Thouard Zadelhoff, which later became Cushman & Wakefield, from October 2013 to November 2017, and we have always worked well together,” she recalled. “I helped him build some of firm’s largest clients at that time. It was a fun time to build, and I feel like I am going to be able to do the same with him at Cresa.”

In her new role as head of Global Portfolio Solutions, Trester said she will focus on client portfolio optimization and service to help companies navigate what she described as today’s complex commercial real estate landscape.

The reunion between Lickerman and Trester comes at a time when Cresa was looking for a leader to maintain its growing clients.

“We are confident her knowledge and insights will serve as a driving force behind empowering our clients to align their real estate strategy with their broader business objectives,” Lickerman said, in a release. “Her industry experience and reputation, as well as her passion for solving complex challenges and building strong client relationships, make her the perfect leader for Global Portfolio Solutions.”

Trester, a Milwaukee-native, earned a bachelor's in Business Administration from Alverno College in Milwaukee.

Cresa has been on a hiring spree in the past year. In addition to Trester and Lickerman, the Chicago-based firm hired President Greg Schementi, formerly with Cushman & Wakefield, and General Counsel Kathryn Ditmas and Chief Financial Officer Kristin MacCarthy, both from JLL.