New York People and Company News, Week of May 15, 2026

Avison Young has made five new strategic hires to accelerate growth and broaden its platform in New York City. Christian Stanton, Oliver Petrovic, Jason Schwartzenberg, Alex Woodlief and Libby Hodes will strengthen the firm’s capabilities across New York City’s office, retail and investment sales markets. Stanton joins as principal and Hodes as a director focusing on retail, Petrovic and Schwartzenberg join as executive directors focused on office tenant representation, and Woodlief joins as director on Avison Young’s Tri-State Investment Sales team.

Latham & Watkins LLP announced that Marco Caffuzzi has joined the firm’s New York office as a partner in the Real Estate Practice. Caffuzzi has extensive experience advising clients on the full range of real estate transactions, including sophisticated financings, restructurings, joint ventures, acquisitions and dispositions, and large scale development and infrastructure projects. He joins Latham from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP.

NAI James E. Hanson, the largest New Jersey-based full-service independent commercial real estate firm, has hired Megan Hencinsky as senior marketing coordinator. She will work out of the firm’s Parsippany office.

FirstService Residential, has elevated Maria Hurst to the role of SVP of the Condo/Coop Werny Division. In her new role, Hurst will oversee a diverse and expansive portfolio of condominium and cooperative properties while providing executive leadership, operational oversight, and strategic guidance to the division’s robust property management teams. In addition, Jeffrey Poirot steps into a new chapter of leadership, assuming the role of SVP of the New Development

Fairstead recently appointed affordable housing expert Keith Kinard as Senior Director of Public Housing. He will oversee Fairstead’s public housing practice, focused on structuring innovative partnerships between public housing authorities and private-sector stakeholders through RAD conversions and other PBV/HAP opportunities.

Arqline, the national property management platform from Alfred, has appointed Alexis Murrell as EVP of Community Marketing and Revenue Strategy, a newly created role focused on aligning marketing with leasing performance, resident experience, and portfolio growth as the company scales toward 100,000 homes under management. Murrell will oversee marketing and revenue strategy across Arqline’s 50,000-home portfolio, bringing together brand, demand generation, digital performance, and on-site execution under a more centralized operating approach.

Blue Mountain Capital appointed Suraj Desai as partner and head of hospitality. Based in the firm’s Florida office, Desai will lead Blue Mountain Capital’s national hospitality finance practice and oversee the origination, structuring, and execution of debt and equity transactions across the full spectrum of commercial real estate asset classes.

CRH, a leading provider of building materials, appointed Aylwyn Bryan as CFO,.Bryan has over 25 years of financial leadership experience, including the past 14 years with CRH. Most recently he served as CFO of CRH’s Americas Division and previously as Head of Group Finance and Group Tax Director.

Synergi, an award-winning international team of engineers, fabricators, and installers of turnkey architectural stairs, appointed Steven Elsdon as CEO. Elsdon succeeds Jim Admiraal, who will transition into the role of chief revenue officer.