Global commercial real estate advisor Avison Young has announced the appointment of Graham Barnes as Director and Head of Corporate Finance, Capital Markets. Graham will be based in Avison Young’s London headquarters and will lead the growth of its corporate finance offering.

A senior real estate investment banker, Graham brings over 35 years of experience in strategic advisory, mergers and acquisitions, and capital raising and restructuring across sectors including build-to-rent, life sciences, logistics, data centres, student accommodation and retail.

Prior to joining Avison Young, Graham held senior roles in a number of commercial real estate businesses, including serving for more than a decade as Executive Director, Real Estate Investment Banking at CBRE, advising across strategy, business growth, capitalisation, and monetisation, and as Investment Strategist on Reech CBRE Alternative Real Estate’s relative value hedge fund Iceberg.

With a strong track record across asset classes and a broad operational real estate background, his arrival accelerates the expansion of the Capital Markets business, while aligning with the firm’s growing living sector platform. The role will see him building out Avison Young’s corporate finance team, strengthening its real estate investment banking service offering for clients.

His appointment closely follows the promotion of Guy Spencer to the role of Head of National Capital Markets in April, and the arrival of Richard Day as Head of Debt Advisory in January.

Chris Pilgrim, Principal, Managing Director and Head of Capital Markets UK at Avison Young, said:
“Bringing Graham onboard to grow our corporate finance offer adds additional expertise to our leadership team at a time of strong momentum in the market.

“His strategic perspective and long-standing industry relationships will be instrumental as we broaden our capabilities and continue to elevate the support we deliver to clients. His experience across build-to-rent, student accommodation, logistics and life sciences means he also brings with him expert insight on some of the fastest growing sectors in real estate.”

Graham Barnes, Director and Head of Corporate Finance at Avison Young, added:
“Joining Avison Young at such a pivotal moment for the Capital Markets team is incredibly exciting. The UK commercial real estate market is showing renewed confidence, particularly across key growth sectors, and this creates a strong foundation for meaningful advisory work.

“I’m looking forward to supporting clients as they navigate this evolving landscape, while helping to build and enhance our corporate finance capability. It’s a fantastic opportunity to contribute to a team that is ambitious, collaborative and committed to delivering exceptional outcomes.”