Colliers Global COO John Friedrichsen to Retire

April 23, 2021

The retirement will take effect during the second quarter as the firm prepares for the transition.

John Friedrichsen, COO, Colliers Global. Image courtesy of Colliers

Colliers Global Chief Operating Officer John Friedrichsen, a commercial real estate veteran who had been with Colliers and its predecessor for more than 20 years, will be retiring during the second quarter.

The Toronto-based international professional services and investment management company stated there will be an orderly transition of his COO responsibilities to other members of the executive team.

Friedrichsen was appointed COO in January 2020 and has provided executive oversight and leadership at the global level, as well as key operational support functions including information technology, real estate and workplace strategy, and corporate legal matters. He had joined Colliers’ predecessor FirstService Corp. in 1998 as vice president, acquisitions, and was named chief financial officer in 2002. When Colliers was spun off from FirstService in 2015, Friedrichsen maintained the role of CFO. During his tenure, the market capitalization of the combined companies increased from $62 million to more than $11 billion today.

Jay Hennick, global chairman & CEO, said in a prepared statement Friedrichsen has been one of his closest allies for more than two decades as they helped build FirstService and Colliers. Hennick founded FirstService in 1989 and served as its CEO until June 2015, when he led the separation of FirstService into two publicly traded companies.

“John’s unrivalled support and dedication has led to significant growth and shareholder returns over his many years of service. I will miss his insight and partnership but wish him the very best as he transitions to retirement,” Hennick stated.

Friedrichsen, who holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Windsor in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, was a CPA who started his professional career at KPMG in Toronto. Prior to joining FirstService, he was a vice president with Ernst & Young Corporate Finance Inc. in Toronto, where he was responsible for advising companies on a range of corporate finance matters, including raising capital and acquisitions.