JLL Names New President for Americas Capital Markets

Kevin MacKenzie will succeed Jody Thornton, who moves to executive chairman.

JLL has appointed Kevin MacKenzie as president of Americas Capital Markets, effective Jan. 1.

Kevin MacKenzie will assume his new role as JLL’s president of Americas Capital Markets starting Jan. 1, 2025
Kevin MacKenzie will assume his new role as JLL’s president of Americas Capital Markets starting Jan. 1, 2025. Image courtesy of JLL

The firm announced that MacKenzie will succeed Jody Thornton in this position. Thornton will assume the role of executive chairman of Americas Capital Markets, where he will continue overseeing various initiatives.

MacKenzie has been a top producer for more than 10 years, handling 925 transactions totaling more than $35 billion across all property sectors and U.S. regions.

“We are very thoughtful about succession planning at every level of the company; it is a meritocracy that layers throughout our system and allows us to retain and grow our people over long careers at JLL,” MacKenzie told Commercial Property Executive.

Given the continued growth of the firm’s capital markets platform and its increased connectivity between business lines, the time was right for this move, MacKenzie commented.

“I’ve spent the majority of my career with this company, starting as an analyst nearly 20 years ago. I am extremely excited to move into this next chapter, which involves further building on the strong foundation leadership has formed and driving our teams to even greater success and innovation on behalf of our clients,” MacKenzie added.


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MacKenzie began as an analyst in the Dallas office in 2004 and was promoted to a role in production just one year later. He held various roles (at HFF and JLL), first moving to co-heading the Orange County office in 2011, then overseeing the Los Angeles and the Pacific Northwest offices.

Later, he was head of the West region and was added to the executive committee (HFF) in 2018.

MacKenzie helped direct the firm’s national initiatives, such as strategic transactions and private capital. Most recently, he was head of production for JLL Capital Markets.

As president, he will handle capital market transactions while assisting with the businesses’ strategic growth and objectives.