June 27, 2025

Leadership Changes Transforming the Texas Real Estate Landscape

News Summary

The Texas real estate industry is witnessing significant leadership changes, particularly in Austin, as firms adjust to enhance growth and transaction services. Carly Langley joins Transwestern, while Jillian Johnson Hanks moves to CBRE. Will Pural begins with Northmarq, Dave Howard takes a role in debt and equity, and Paul Mouchakkaa is now with Crow Holdings. Ben Azulay has been appointed president at Bradford Allen. Concurrently, Salt Lake City faces a 5.9% decline in existing home sales, suggesting a mixed market outlook. These shifts indicate a dynamic future for real estate in the region.

Utah has recently seen significant leadership changes in its real estate sector, as several firms appoint seasoned professionals to enhance regional growth and focus on transaction services. These strategic moves are expected to boost the real estate landscape, providing significant support and advisory services to various clients across different markets.

Jillian Johnson Hanks has joined the Salt Lake City office of CBRE as vice president. In her new role, Hanks will specialize in office leasing advisory and related transaction services, contributing to CBRE’s goal of expanding its presence in the region. Before joining CBRE, Hanks held the position of vice president at JLL in the Salt Lake region. She has extensive experience advising real estate clients, including landlords and developers, on various projects such as property conversions, expansions, and ground-up developments, in addition to working with corporate clients in sectors like engineering, technology, legal, consumer products, and financial services to support their expansion projects in Utah.

Meanwhile, Northmarq has appointed Will Pural as senior vice president within its National Restaurant Group, located in the San Diego office. Pural will focus on advisory and transactional services for net-leased properties, predominantly within the restaurant sector. With over 15 years of experience in the real estate business, Pural previously served as senior vice president of investments at CIRE Partners, where he managed more than 300 transactions valued at over $2 billion.

Also, in the Northmarq family, Dave Howard has joined the Richmond, Virginia office as senior vice president of debt and equity. Howard’s responsibilities will include sourcing financing capital across all commercial real estate categories to facilitate Northmarq’s growth in the region. With a robust 40 years of experience in traditional and commercial mortgage banking, Howard previously held the position of regional executive at Citizens and Farmers Bank in Richmond.

In another important appointment, Carly Langley has been named vice president of Transwestern Real Estate Services based in Austin, Texas. Langley is set to work with the office agency leasing team as the firm seeks to expand its business development in the region. Her previous experience includes working at Karlin Real Estate and Work&, where she played a pivotal role in launching the first WeWork locations in Texas and other Southern regions. She has also led regional sales for a hospitality firm and managed business development for a regional owner-developer.

Paul Mouchakkaa has joined Crow Holdings as a senior managing director within its Crow Holdings Capital division, where he will focus on the firm’s Build-to-Core and Core+ investment programs. Mouchakkaa brings a wealth of knowledge with extensive experience managing a $30 billion global portfolio while serving as head of real estate for Alberta Investment Management Corp. He has also held executive roles in various prestigious firms, including BentallGreenOak, CalPERS, Morgan Stanley Real Estate Investing, and Pension Consulting Alliance.

Additionally, Ben Azulay has been appointed president of brokerage services at Bradford Allen, based in the company’s Chicago headquarters. With a career spanning 21 years, Azulay’s goal is to expand the firm’s representation for tenants and landlords involved in office, retail, and industrial properties across the nation. He began his journey at Bradford Allen in 2004, successfully completing over 100 transactions for various corporate and nonprofit clients, including notable companies like Grubhub and MedSpeed.

Amid these leadership changes, the Salt Lake City housing market is exhibiting unpredictable trends as spring 2025 approaches. In March, existing home sales declined by 5.9%, marking the most significant drop since November 2022. Real estate experts have observed a split among buyers; some are moving quickly due to economic worries, while others are opting to wait. Additionally, home inventory has surged by 34% compared to the previous year, offering buyers more choices, although homes remain categorized within a seller’s market. While uncertainty clouds opinions among real estate agents regarding the market’s future, the prevailing sentiment suggests that a complete downturn or crash is unlikely. Utah’s robust economic standing and continuing appeal as a relocation hotspot underpin ongoing housing demand even amidst signs of a cooling market.

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